The federal government's dereliction allows states to fall short on meeting minimum child welfare standards. Below is information specific to Minnesota.

CFSR Results Summary: In its Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) process, HHS determines whether each state is in substantial conformity with 7 specific outcomes (pertaining to the areas of safety, permanency and family and child well-being) and 7 systemic factors (relating to the quality of services delivered to children and families and the outcomes they experience).  In the first two rounds of the CFSR, HHS has concluded that Minnesota was:

Round 1 (2001)

• NOT in substantial conformity with 7 of the 7 Outcomes
• in substantial conformity with 7 of the 7 Systemic Factors

Round 2 (2008)   

• NOT in substantial conformity with 7 of the 7 Outcomes
• NOT in substantial conformity with 2 of the 7 Systemic Factors

Although federal law mandates that any state found not to be operating in substantial conformity during an initial or subsequent review must begin a full review within two years after approval of the state's program improvement plan, HHS has announced that Minnesota will not undergo Round 3 of the CFSR until FY 2016 (see CFSR Technical Bulletin #7 (March 2014)).

Documents from the U.S. Health & Human Services Children's Bureau

• Child and Family Services Review Reports and Results
  
  
  • Minnesota Performance Improvement Plan (Round 2)
  • Final Report: Minnesota Child and Family Services Review, 2008 (Round 2)
  • Minnesota Performance Improvement Plan (Round 1)
  • Final Report: Minnesota Child and Family Services Review, 2001 (Round 1)
• Title IV-E State Reports and Program Improvement Plans (PIPs)
  
  
  • Initial Primary (FY 2004)
  • Primary Review (FY 2007)
  • Subsequent Primary Review (FY 2010)
  • Subsequent Primary Review (FY 2013)
• Other Documents / Reports
  
  
  • Minnesota AFCARS Assessment Review (2004)
  • Minnesota section from HHS' Child Welfare Outcomes, 2009-2012, Report to Congress

Child Welfare In the News**

• Lawmakers: Kids not always first in Minnesota's child protection system (Associated Press - January 22, 2015) It's a response to some high-profile cases where mistreated children died or suffered severe injury despite warning signs social service workers didn't act on. The four legislators from both parties and both legislative chambers proposed giving law enforcement and county child-protection workers more information about child abuse reports.
  
• MN lawmakers to propose changes to child protection system seen by some as failing children (Associated Press - January 21, 2015) Four legislators were rolling out a plan Wednesday. They serve on a task force Gov. Mark Dayton created after media reports of bureaucratic faults in the death of a 4-year-old boy.
  
• My View: Improve child protection system (Mankato Free Press - January 16, 2015) Imagine you or a loved one is receiving services from a social worker. You presume that the person, using the title of "social worker," is a credentialed social worker - meaning the person graduated from a social work education program and is licensed to practice social work commensurate with their credentials. Think again.
  
• Minority groups deeply dissatisfied with child protection services (Includes audio) (Minnesota Public Radio - January 09, 2015) Children of color are much more likely to be reported to Minnesota's child protection system than white children, a long-standing issue the state is working to address.
• Child protection reform pushes a harder line on child abuse (Minneapolis Star Tribune - January 08, 2015) Social workers would have to follow guidelines set by the Department of Human Services (DHS) when deciding what to do with an abuse report. If counties reject a report, they must document why that decision was made and keep those records for at least five years.
  
• Minnesota DHS wants to scrap just-passed law on child protection (Minneapolis Star Tribune - December 26, 2014) Legislators want to change bill they voted for, saying they didn't know it would restrict past abuse reports.
  
• Dayton's task force agrees on child protection overhaul (Includes video) (Minneapolis Star Tribune - December 12, 2014) More than 30 changes are planned to improve state's child protection system.
• Panel: Lawmakers must end law that hobbles child abuse inquires (Includes audio) (Minnesota Public Radio - December 12, 2014) A state task force wants the Legislature to quickly repeal a recent law that forbids child protection workers from considering previously-rejected abuse reports when deciding whether to investigate a new allegation.
  
• Child protection failed to investigate sex abuse reports (Minneapolis Star Tribune - December 04, 2014) County child protection agencies failed to investigate 203 reports of suspected child sex abuse in Minnesota last year, the state Department of Human Services said Thursday.
  
• How the Star Tribune acquired child protection records (Minneapolis Star Tribune - November 09, 2014) The Star Tribune obtained child protection records under two provisions in state law that are exceptions to the privacy of nearly all social services data. Counties are required to release limited information when children are killed or suffer a near fatal injury and criminal charges are filed in those cases.
  
  

**news summaries taken from daily newsfeed service of HHS' Child Welfare Information Gateway