State: Minnesota
Contact Person: Anita Keyes
Contact Address: Minnesota Department of Human Services, P.O. Box 64943, St. Paul, MN 55164-0943
Contact Phone: 651-431-4704
Email: anita.keyes@state.mn.us
URL: www.dhs.state.mn.us/
Founded In: September,
1999
Funding: State
funded using CAPTA funds.
Five county based panels - state steering committee
Examples of Work Projects or Focuses of the Minnesota Citizen Review Panels:
- Assist with the reviews of requests for reconsideration of maltreatment findings.
- Study recidivism of families in child protection and explore options to improve outcomes for children.
- Conduct case reviews and make recommendations to reduce the re-entry rate of children to foster care.
- Evaluate and promote the involvement of non-custodial parents (most often fathers) in child protection cases.
- Monitor the county and state Child Protection Program Improvement Plans.
- Sponsor training to managers, directors and supervisors in community schools, medical clinics, hospitals, agencies and organizations about the importance of training their mandated reporters.
- Participate in the Administrative Reviews of youth in foster care.
- Evaluate and promote programs to help children and youth who are truant or victims of educational neglect.
- Promote consistent and adequate child welfare financing.
- Understand racial disparities in child protection services and communicate this understanding to others.
- Look at the child protection intake process to determine if the practices ensure the safety of the children.
- Advocate for Independent Living Skills resources for youth aging out of foster care.
The link below to the Minnesota Department of Human Services' Citizen Review Panels' Web site includes the annual reports and the responses to those reports from the Department. There is also a new panel member orientation slide show. Just click on the words "this orientation" to see it.
Minnesota Citizen Review Panels, external link, CRP reports at bottom of page
