Senator Kathy Sheran discussing the DE amendment for SF 807 during the Feb. 18, 2015, hearing of the Senate Committee on Health, Human Services and Housing. Source: Senate Media Services webcast (screenshot) Two of the initial recommendations from the Governor's Task Force on the Protection of Children are the focus of the delete-everything (DE) amendments [...]
Dr. Traci LaLiberte presenting at the Feb. 13, 2015, meeting of the Governor's Task Force on the Protection of Children. Source: Heidi Ombisa Skallet/CASCW The Governor's Task Force on the Protection of Children met last Friday, Feb. 13, in St. Paul. Two of the workgroups also met that day, though I was only able to [...]
With the call for child protection system reform in Minnesota has come a maelstrom of opinions about what works and what doesn't for keeping children safe and protecting their overall well-being. Recent legislation has focused on improving aspects of the system's ability to prioritize high-risk maltreatment cases and ensure child safety. Amid the discussion on [...]
Last month Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) Commissioner Lucinda Jesson stated that DHS would soon be providing practice guidance on child protection screening, track assignment, and other practice issues based on initial recommendations from the Governor's Task Force on the Protection of Children. On Thursday, Feb. 5, this guidance was issued in the form [...]
Board of Social Work Budget Proposal Kate Zacher-Pate, Executive Director of the Minnesota Board of Social Work (BOSW), presented the BOSW budget proposal at the House Health and Human Services (HHS) Finance Committee meeting last Thursday. The proposal included recommendations for enforcing social work licensure for those who are practicing social work without a license [...]
Editor's Note: Dr. Anne Gearity sent a letter to the Governor's Task Force on the Protection of Children on January 30, 2015, in which she urged the Task Force to consider the impact of trauma on children as the Task Force develops their final recommendations to the legislature. In her letter, Dr. Gearity includes several [...]
Slide from Governor Dayton's Budget Presentation. Source: Minnesota Management & Budget On Tuesday, January 27, 2015, Governor Dayton released his 2016-2017 biennial budget. It has been the topic of several House and Senate committee hearings over the past week. The proposed $42 billion budget, which includes a $1 billion dollar budget surplus, prioritizes services for [...]
While SF 4 and HF 191 are companion bills that implement several recommendations from the Governor's Task Force on the Protection of Children, the bill text in SF 4 (modified after the introduction of a delete-all amendment at the Senate committee hearing on Jan. 26) differs slightly from the bill text in HF 191. You [...]
