DCYF joins two federal programs

The Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families is now participating in two federal initiatives. The first works to get better results for children and youth in foster care. The second aims to make sure we have enough foster homes across the state.

Testing new ideas in child welfare

The first program is a trial run to test new ideas and improve teamwork across government systems. Minnesota will use the pilot to test new approaches and learn what works best. This work will help officials improve their tools before using them everywhere. The work will also help the state team with local partners to better support children. 

"The program is a great chance to build on what we are already doing, said Tikki Brown, commissioner of DCYF “It helps our state meet federal goals in a smart way.”

DCYF is already getting ready for this program by talking to partners, checking legal rules, and making sure staff is prepared. 

The state hopes to meet several key goals:

• Match federal expectations for child and family services
• Test and improve how Minnesota reviews child welfare cases
• Find real ways to help counties and Tribes improve their daily work 
• Use data and teamwork to keep improving the system

More information about the pilot is available at Child and Family Services Review Round 4: Program Improvement Plan Hub.

A challenge to find more foster homes

The second program is called A Home for Every Child Innovation Challenge. This is a competition run by the federal Administration for Children and Families (ACF). The federal government will reward states that make great progress in finding new foster homes.

The goal is to have homes waiting for children, instead of making them wait for homes. The contest hopes to push states to find new, fast ways to recruit and keep foster parents. 

Resources at  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families:

• CFSR Technical Bulletin #14: A Home for Every Child Initiative
• A Home for Every Child Resource Page
• A Home for Every Child Innovation Challenge
• Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) Statewide Data Indicators Dashboard

Resources at DCYF:

• Minnesota’s Child and Family Services Review Round 4: Program Improvement Plan Hub

Questions

For questions or concerns, please contact the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), Child Safety and Permanency (CSP) Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Team at dcyf.csp.cfsr@state.mn.us.