MN SF2979

Commissioner of Human Services shall conduct a biennial child welfare workforce stability study with University of Minnesota's Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare, with first study due June 30, 2020, examining workforce intent to remain, turnover rates, and retention barriers.

Commissioner shall partner with University of Minnesota's Minn-LInK project to conduct annual studies on characteristics, experiences, and outcomes of children and families in the child welfare system, with research briefs provided to the Child Welfare Training Academy by December 15 annually.

Child Welfare Training System shall be renamed and restructured as the Child Welfare Training Academy, administered through five regional hubs (northwest, northeast, southwest, southeast, and central Minnesota) with regional organizational effectiveness specialists trained in continuous quality improvement.

Each child welfare worker and supervisor must complete competency-based certification including knowledge test and skills demonstration at initial training completion and biennially thereafter.

Commissioner shall conduct a child welfare caseload study due July 1, 2019, collecting data on number of workers and time spent on different work components, with appropriations of $400,000 for the caseload study and $150,000 for the Minn-LInK study in fiscal year 2019.