One in four of Minnesota's abused, troubled or neglected children bounced back into foster care within 12 months of being returned to their parents in 2009, according to new state reports, despite a multiyear effort to improve the stability of the state's child welfare system and to eliminate the harm that comes from failed placements.
The state's 24 percent reentry rate was among the worst in the nation -- far above the federal goal of 9.9 percent or less. The outcome is a puzzle, considering that Minnesota has met other federal goals and sharply reduced the number of children in protection because of parental abuse or neglect.
The high reentry rate reflects, in part, an unusually high percentage of children with behavioral problems of their own and Minnesota's preference to reunite children with their parents, rather than turn to adoption or other alternatives that might prove more permanent.
It nonetheless represents a significant problem for the state and its county-managed child welfare system. Beyond risking millions of dollars in federal fines for missing the goal, the state puts children at risk of suffering anxiety and trauma with each move to and from their parents' homes. Some children lose the bond with parents through repeat moves, studies have found, developing attachment disorders that have been linked to higher rates of crime, drug use and other problems.
"The impact of placement is not without trauma," even when removing children is in their best interests, said Erin Sullivan Sutton, an assistant commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Human Services. "You are removed from everything you know." more
The state's 24 percent reentry rate was among the worst in the nation -- far above the federal goal of 9.9 percent or less. The outcome is a puzzle, considering that Minnesota has met other federal goals and sharply reduced the number of children in protection because of parental abuse or neglect.
The high reentry rate reflects, in part, an unusually high percentage of children with behavioral problems of their own and Minnesota's preference to reunite children with their parents, rather than turn to adoption or other alternatives that might prove more permanent.
It nonetheless represents a significant problem for the state and its county-managed child welfare system. Beyond risking millions of dollars in federal fines for missing the goal, the state puts children at risk of suffering anxiety and trauma with each move to and from their parents' homes. Some children lose the bond with parents through repeat moves, studies have found, developing attachment disorders that have been linked to higher rates of crime, drug use and other problems.
"The impact of placement is not without trauma," even when removing children is in their best interests, said Erin Sullivan Sutton, an assistant commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Human Services. "You are removed from everything you know." more
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