Citizen Review Panels

Citizen Review Panels were established under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act. In Minnesota, panels also have statutory requirements under Minnesota Statutes 142A.03 Subd.10.

Minnesota has maintained Citizen Review Panels since 1999. These panels bring a crucial community voice to county and statewide child welfare policies and procedures; panel members play an integral role in ensuring that the child protection system protects children from abuse and neglect. They also help identify and eliminate racial disparities in the system.

Panel members help improve child welfare practices and policies by:

• Examining specific child welfare cases, including active or closed cases, maltreatment reconsiderations, child fatality and near fatality cases; and providing independent insight for improvement
• Providing feedback to key leaders on the internal workings of the child protection system
• Participating in educational events, including a national conference for Citizen Review Panel members
• Receiving ongoing support, training and organizational updates from county and state staff.

Applicants should live or work in the county of the Citizen Review Panel. Members are not paid for their time at meetings, but per diem stipends are available. Find more details or apply on the MN Secretary of State website.

Further information

• Fact sheet: Minnesota Citizen Review Panels: Reaching out to protect children DHS-5684 (PDF)
• FAQs: Minnesota Citizen Review Panel (CRP) Frequently Asked Questions (PDF) 

Annual reports

Learn about activities of each panel and the department's responses.

• Reporting Year 2024 (PDF)
• Reporting Year 2023 (PDF)
• Reporting Year 2022 (PDF)
• Reporting Year 2021 (PDF)
• Reporting Year 2020 (PDF)