Karen Newman 

Social Services Director Rhonda Porter introduced Supervisors Amy Amundsen, Quinn Jaeger and Michelle Thordal to provide information about 2020 to the county commission at their May 9 meeting.

Supervisor Amy Amundsen presented an overview of the services provided by the Child and Family Services Division. They receive abuse and neglect reports from the community and arrange for emergency out-of-home placements if required for safety. When reports are received, division staff conducts child protection investigations and assessments with the goal of keeping families intact, if possible.  The division provides voluntary and court-ordered child protection and child welfare case management services to families in Clay County, as well as supervising contracted mental health services for children. The division manages services with contracted providers including The Village, Lutheran Social Services, Lakeland, Solutions and Rainbow Bridge.

 Supervisor Quinn Jaeger provided an historical look at Clay County Child Protection/Welfare Intakes. “Prior to covid, we had historically gained about a hundred calls for service per year and then covid hit.” The total of child protection and child welfare intakes for the county were as follows:

·       2016=2,594

·       2017=2,654

·       2018=2,753

·       2019=2,932

·       2020=2,424

·        

Jaeger explained that the intake drop is largely due to schools providing many referrals and, due to Covid-19, schools were not in session. He added that as schools return to in-person learning, referral calls are increasing again.

He noted, “One important distinction is that although the calls have decreased, the severity of what we’re seeing has increased. Significant substance abuse in the community, significant mental health, both by parents and by children, has just drastically increased during these covid times. It’s hard to quantify in data to see what we’re seeing in the severity of it out there. Even though our numbers are lower, the difficulty of the cases has significantly increased.”

In 2020, ongoing issues continued and new challenges arose for the Child & Family Services Division.  Staff turnover numbers, truancy, and school attendance remain significant issues. Covid-19 negatively impacted assessing immediate child safety and family engagement. Distance learning presented challenges for adult family members and students which the department hopes will improve with the return of students to the school district buildings.

Commissioner Jenny Mongeau, a virtual meeting participant, added, “I just want to tell you how grateful I am for you and your staff, for the work you do in this.  This is an incredibly difficult area and I know it is stressful and straining. I want to offer my gratitude to you all for that you do.”