The Wellbeing of Minnesota's Children is at Risk
Hello to our community and partners,
I'm writing to you today to share some somber findings from CornerHouse's most recent report, "The Wellbeing of Minnesota's Children."
Children across Minnesota are experiencing unaddressed abuse and serious mental health issues.
We have reviewed data from the Minnesota Child Maltreatment reports and Minnesota Student Survey. What we found is troubling both in terms of the numbers of children experiencing abuse or adverse childhood experiences as well as their mental health.
The results of this report are alarming. Our children are depending on us.
Everyone in our community must come together to change the trajectory for each one of these children and allow them to be a kid again. Keep reading to understand the gravity of the situation, and how you can help.
In reviewing the 2015 - 2019 Minnesota Child Maltreatment Report, we found that:
• 188,146 children were connected to a child abuse report from 2015 – 2019
• A minimum of 68% (74,888) reports considered at moderate to high risk for safety were thought to have no need for ongoing services.
• 31,629 children over this 5-year period had a subsequent child maltreatment report within 12 months during the same period
• 19,667 families over this period were screened out for not meeting the threshold of a child abuse investigation/family assessment only to have a subsequent report in 12 months that did.
*Grades 6-12 only | Data sets for all source data can be found here
This is an overwhelming problem; however, the solution is simple.
What can we do?
• Strengthen Children's Advocacy Centers like CornerHouse who were built to provide help specifically for children experiencing trauma.
• Increase awareness and skillsets for professionals who work with children and adolescents
• Expand prevention services, both in terms of increasing direct support for families to provide safe homes and to help adults understand how to protect children from manipulation.
Minnesota's children are depending on us. Instead of telling children that they're important - let's show them.
How can you help?
• Share this report with your network and let them know how Minnesota's children are at risk
• Join us at Help Keep Kids Safe on April 14th - an event hosted by CornerHouse that will provide education and solutions for protecting Minnesota's children
• Give a chance for every child by making a donation to our capacity-building campaign as we grow to serve every child who needs us
• Join CornerHouse Champions for Children - a network of businesses invested in keeping kids safe from abuse
Thank you for all you do to keep children safe.
With Gratitude,
Mitzi Hobot
Executive Director