A Briefing Paper on the Minnesota Child Welfare System: Responding to the Needs of Children Unable To Live at Home.

Noting that resurgence of the "orphanage" controversy has recently brought public attention to the child welfare system in Minnesota, this report notes that the child welfare system is not well understood and focuses debate on the needs of children who cannot live at home. Following introductory remarks and highlights from the text, the report describes characteristics of the Minnesota welfare system, including a discussion of the best interest of the child as the system's guiding concept, legislation shaping the system, licensing rules, and the continuum of care. Children entering the child welfare system are described and placement data for the year 2000 are presented. The report next discusses the needs of several child populations of concern: fragile infants with medical conditions, multiple problem children, older adolescents with a history of problems, homeless Native American youth, adolescents needing an acute care response in a hospital setting, and children in large sibling groups. Evidence from the child welfare field is presented to highlight that placement in large institutions is unsuitable for young children, that young children in family settings have better developmental outcomes, and that permanency is lessened under institutional care. The report then explores the possibility of educational academies as an option for older, intellectually competent children. A recommendation that a moratorium be enacted and a study of children's needs be conducted before large-scale institutions be considered for care of children unable to remain at home concludes the report. Appended are: Federal Policy Framework for Child Welfare Practice; Components of the System of Care; and Reviving the Orphanage Option for Children Who Cannot Remain in the Family: An Historical Note. (Contains 45 references.) (KB)