Panel: Lawmakers must end law that hobbles child abuse inquires
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.
The task force approved preliminary recommendations Friday. They include a request that the Legislature repeal the law in January, when it reconvenes, and require rejected reports to be saved for five years rather than one.
Gov. Mark Dayton in September called for the task force as part of an overhaul of the state's child protection system intended to keep kids safer.
He also ordered the Department of Human Services to conduct monthly random screenings of decisions made by county child protection workers across Minnesota to ensure they're doing the job right.
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
The actions comes after the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that county workers didn't follow up on abuse complaints about Eric Dean, a 4-year-old Starbuck, Minnesota, boy who was later murdered by his stepmother. The newspaper found that despite 15 complaints from the boy's day care providers and others, his case was investigated only once.
Reports of maltreatment must consistently be reported to law enforcement, said former Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Kathleen Blatz, who served on Dayton's task force.
"Many counties do this ... the statute requires it, it's not done all the time," she said.
The recommendations also call for improved training for child protection supervisors and better data collection.