Purpose of the Bill

The bill aims to enhance child protection efforts in Minnesota by modifying the structure and responsibilities of multidisciplinary child protection teams. It seeks to ensure these teams address the needs of children and families more effectively, especially in cases involving vulnerable or at-risk populations, such as youth who are at risk of sex or labor trafficking, sexual exploitation, or Indigenous youth and families facing particular challenges.

Main Provisions

• Team Composition: The bill mandates the establishment of a multidisciplinary child protection team in each county. These teams should include representatives from various sectors such as local welfare, law enforcement, health, education, and mental health services. It emphasizes the inclusion of agencies dealing with sex or labor trafficking and Indigenous relatives identified as missing or murdered.

• Team Duties: The teams are tasked with providing public and professional education, resource development for prevention, intervention and treatment, and offering case consultation for community-based agencies. These case consultations involve collaborative reviews to recommend services for children and families.

• Focus on Indigenous Issues: A new subdivision is added to ensure teams can assist in programs for youth at risk of going missing or being murdered, focusing specifically on Indigenous families. It mandates at least one representative from a nonprofit agency serving these populations to be part of the team.

Significant Changes

• The bill modifies existing Minnesota Statutes to formally integrate a broader set of agencies and stakeholders into the child protection framework.
• It highlights the involvement of agencies focused on Indigenous issues, reflecting a specific legislative response to the disturbing trend of missing and murdered Indigenous people.

Relevant Terms

• Child protection
• Multidisciplinary team
• Sex trafficking
• Labor trafficking
• Missing and murdered Indigenous relatives
• Case consultation
• Community-based agencies