The Minnesota Legislative Task Force on Child Protection met last month to discuss a Hennepin County report about the implementation of the African American Family Preservation and Child Welfare Disportionality Act (AAFPA) pilot program. The pilot program was enacted when the governor signed Senate File 716 into law in May.
African American youth in Minnesota are over three times more likely than their white peers to be reported to a child protection agency, and are removed from their homes at much higher rates, according to the nonprofit Preserve Our Families. While the overarching goal of child protection agencies is to reunite youth with their families when possible, the AAFPA works to keep African American youth with their families from the start.
Kwesi Booker, director of children and family services for Hennepin County, said data from 2021 showed that children of color made up 43 percent of the youth population in the county, but accounted for 75 percent of the children reported to child protection services.
“Even before families enter the child protective system, disparities are very striking. The disparities continue as families move deeper into the child protective system,” Booker said. “In 2020, Hennepin County and Village Arms collaborated on a three-year pilot to deliver culturally-specific services that promote the stability and security of African American families involved in the child protection system.”
Booker said the pilot program aligned with the Hennepin County board’s direction on transforming child wellbeing, disparity reduction, and regarding racism as a public health crisis. Social workers partnered with families to understand and leverage family strengths, provide culturally responsive and supportive networks to address implicit bias, and develop creative solutions that safely reduce disproportionality in child protective outcomes.
Village Arms liaisons were involved early and frequently in the process, including during joint consultations and placement alternatives for youth, according to Booker. A total of 196 families and 289 children participated in the program.
“Overall, the children who participated in the pilot had better outcomes than those that did not participate in the pilot in nearly 60 percent of the measures; 90 percent of the families remained at home,” Booker said.
Removing youth from their home and family is a traumatic experience, according to the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for Children. Youth who remain with their families have a higher likelihood of improving in school, finishing high school, and attending college, and CASA notes that familial connections can help youth grow socially and have a greater sense of identity.
Caucasian families with similar or worse allegations of mistreatment are more likely to see their children remain in their homes when compared to African American children. And Black children are more likely to remain in state systems for a longer period of time than white children, according to Preserve Our Families. The nonprofit stated that the cost for youth placement outside their homes is drastic, and includes facility costs for care, payments to foster families, and case management services.
A statewide child welfare inventory and benefit-cost analysis found that in 2016, Minnesota counties—and the federal government—spent $505 million on child welfare services for youth.
Booker said none of the youth in the pilot program experienced a reentry into the foster care system, they received similar placement with relatives, and they all reunified with their families in less than 12 months. Furthermore, fewer youth experienced repeat maltreatment, Booker said.
“When out-of-home placement was needed, we first looked at kinship, rather than placing the child in nonkinship families,” Booker said.
Hennepin County and Village Arms developed strategies to support the stability and security of African American families, like case continuum, making referrals, and co-creating a case plan for an additional 45-day period.
Those interested in learning more about children’s health in Minnesota can register to attend the 2024 Minnesota State of Reform Health Policy Conference, which will be held on Sept. 5 at the Hyatt Regency Bloomington in Minneapolis. A “The State of Children’s Health” panel will be held at 9:30 a.m.