The African-American Child and Family Well-Being Unit is working to fix unfair differences in how African-American children and families are treated in Minnesota’s child welfare system. It creates and supports policies and practices that respect and affirm culture, with the goal of keeping children safe, preventing unnecessary removal from their families, and helping families stay together whenever possible. The unit also looks closely at traditional child protection policies and practices that have led to unequal outcomes. It works to break down what is not working and to redesign the system so it better meets the cultural and lived experiences of African-American and African heritage communities. Overall, the unit’s goal is to build a fair and lasting child welfare system that reduces and eventually eliminates these disparities for African-American and African heritage children, youth, and families in Minnesota.
