HF1151 Summary: Minnesota African American Family Preservation Act

• Establishes the Minnesota African American Family Preservation Act requiring local social services agencies to make "active efforts" (higher standard than "reasonable efforts") to prevent out-of-home placement of African American children and promote family reunification.

• Requires courts to find by clear and convincing evidence that a child's health or welfare would be immediately endangered before ordering out-of-home placement, and mandates documented evidence that agencies provided culturally informed, strength-based services.

• Restricts termination of parental rights for African American parents to cases involving sexual abuse, egregious harm, or specific violent crimes; prohibits termination based solely on failure to complete case plan requirements.

• Creates a 31-member African American Child Welfare Oversight Council and appoints six child welfare disproportionality specialists to monitor outcomes, conduct case reviews, and provide technical assistance to counties with high rates of disproportionate placement.

• Establishes direct grants to African American-led organizations for family preservation services, requires cultural competency training for child welfare workers by January 1, 2022, and appropriates funding for implementation (amount left blank).