It takes data to move systems. So what's the MN data?
At Foster Advocates, we are driven by relationships. The stories told by our Foster leaders, their knowledge and solution ideas from lived experiences across numerous foster care pathways, drive our work and advocacy priorities. We stand in solidarity with Fosters’ expertise—and know that sometimes we also need data to move systems. Foster outcomes and needs are not adequately measured.
For Child Abuse Prevention Month, let’s dive in to some key learnings from the 2020 Minnesota Out-of-Home Care and Permanency Report. Our Foster leaders know that there are a lot of public misunderstandings of the system—the better we understand system trends, the better we can identify opportunities for prevention. Tracking existing data as well as conducting our own Foster-driven research in order to educate elected leaders is all part of what funding for Foster Advocates makes possible. This year, we have about $300,000 left to raise from community donors.
Nationally, 2020 saw a drop in the number of reports (especially by education personnel), number of reports screened in for investigation, and number of children entering care. In Minnesota, we saw a 17% decrease in reports and 10% decrease in reports screened in. Minnesota also saw a 12% decrease in total children in care in 2020—following a four-year downward trend after a peak in child welfare numbers in 2017, bringing 2020 back in line with 2015 rates for total children in care in our state. We are interested to see how these number shift with 2021 data (released at the end of 2022).
Why did child abuse rates not increase in 2020 even with social and economic risk factors of the pandemic? As key pediatricians wrote in JAMA, we also saw an increase in protective factors: additional governmental financial support, increased parent presence at home leading to stronger collaborative relationships, and widespread positive parenting practices and decreases in use of corporal punishment. It is critical that we pay attention to and promote these and other supports that prevent family separation.
2020 Out-of-home-Care and Permanency Report
Minnesota has some of the highest child welfare racial disparities in the country. In 2020, American Indian children were 16.4 times more likely, African-American/Black children were 2.4 times more likely, and those who identify as two or more races were 6.8 times more likely than their white peers to experience out of home care.* Over the past few years, the disparity rates for American Indian and Black children have gone down slightly—but the disparity rate for two or more races has increased.
While some people think these disparities just happen in the Twin Cities, that is not the case. At Foster Advocates, we’ve been breaking down state trends by regions** (stay tuned for a data dashboard coming this summer), and one thing is very clear: in every region in Minnesota, these disparities are significant. To prevent children from entering care, we must address the historical and structural racism that impacts the child welfare system. By overpolicing some communities, we underprotect others.
2020 Out-of-home Care and Permanency Report
Since 2015, Minnesota has seen a big shift in the number of enterers (children entering out of home care placement in a calendar year) and continuers (children continuing in an out of home care placement from the previous calendar year). In 2020, only 36% of total youth in state care entered that year, while 64% continued from the previous calendar year. While it should be expected that many cases will continue over the calendar year, based on variation in when cases start and the length of court processes, it’s unclear what has caused this significant shift since 2015. Only 48% of Fosters experience permanency (reunification, transfer of guardianship, adoption) within 12 months of entering foster care. It is likely this gap will continue to expand into 2021 given COVID’s impact on court delays.
Myth: most child welfare cases are due to physical or sexual abuse.
There is a deep need for expanded addiction prevention and treatment options to reduce family separation, especially inpatient centers that allow parents seeking treatment to stay with their children. Breaking down state trends, shows that since 2016 caretaker drug abuse is primarily trending up as a reason for removal in the West Central, Twin Cities, Southwest and Southern regions.
Alleged neglect was a factor in 61% of all cases, but dropped as the primary reason from 20% to 15%, which could be related to the impact of economic supports at the beginning of the pandemic. Alleged neglect highly stands out in regions that are above the MN average poverty line. It is critical that the child welfare system does not equate poverty with neglect, and that families are provided with support and resources to address poverty factors and prevent removals.
Preventing child abuse means supporting families. Minnesota can choose to invest in prevention–or pay the cost in family trauma, child welfare services, and poor outcomes of Fosters down the road.
At Foster Advocates, we’re building the village of folks who care about Fosters and holding our systems accountable not only to Fosters best interests, but also to prevention so we can reduce the trauma of unnecessary family separation. Join our village by signing up for our next Village Gathering on May 6th, focusing on how we got free college for Minnesota Fosters.
And for my fellow data nerds out there, follow us on social media for our regular Research Roundup posts!
In Solidarity,
Elena Leomi
Associate Director