HF 499 Summary

• Commissioner of human services shall partner with University of Minnesota's Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare to conduct a child welfare workforce stability study by June 30, 2021, and biannually thereafter, examining workforce intent to remain, statewide 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 served by child welfare, with research briefs and reports provided to inform training curriculum development.

• Child Welfare Training System shall be restructured as the Child Welfare Training Academy, administered through five regional hubs across Minnesota, using best practices in adult learning including online methodologies, coaching, and mentoring.

• Each child welfare worker and supervisor must complete a certification including a competency-based knowledge test and skills demonstration at the completion of initial training and biannually thereafter.

• Commissioner shall conduct a child welfare caseload study by July 1, 2020, to collect data on the number of child welfare workers and time spent on different work components, with results reported by December 1, 2020.