Ramsey County Board Workshop: Minnesota African American Family Preservation & Child Welfare Disproportionality Act – From Legislation to Practice

This workshop, held on August 18, 2026, provided an in-depth review of Ramsey County’s implementation of the Minnesota African American Family Preservation and Child Welfare Disproportionality Act (MAFPA-CWDA or the Act). County staff, commissioners, and community elders discussed progress, persistent disparities, workforce challenges, and the need to shift from a system-centered to a family- and community-driven approach. No votes were taken.

Discussion Items

• Legislative context and rationale: The Act responds to longstanding disproportionality in child welfare. Despite prior efforts, African American and American Indian children continue to experience higher rates of removal. Data specific to Ramsey County showed an increase in removals from 2024 to 2025, a trend attributed to families in deeper crisis and limited community-based services. At the same time, 96% of MAFPA-eligible children (718 families, 1,700 children) remained safely at home.
• Workforce and capacity: Several funded positions remain unfilled due to multiple hiring rounds. New social workers often lack experience, and existing staff face rising case complexity, turnover, and the challenge of providing “active efforts” (a higher standard than “reasonable efforts”) which requires more in-person, relational engagement. A new six-week training curriculum and an onboarding unit have been implemented to improve retention.
• Active efforts vs. reasonable efforts: The Act requires active efforts—e.g., helping families overcome transportation, childcare, or scheduling barriers rather than simply providing a referral. Ramsey County models this on Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) standards. Staff are being trained to document and operationalize active efforts consistently.
• Law enforcement role and collaboration: Police are often the first to make removal decisions through emergency holds, with removals sometimes occurring before child protection is involved. County staff are working to strengthen partnerships with law enforcement through training and a multidisciplinary mapping process to return children home within 72 hours. There is recognition that police discretion can lead to inequitable experiences for families.
• Community partnership and the Black Table pilot: Elders from the community (Elder Ford and Elder Atom) described their 18-month participation in an advisory committee that moved from advising to action. In June 2026, they convened 35 families and community members to discuss the Act and identify where community authority should be centered. The consensus was on the front end—screening decisions. A pilot project called the “Black Table” emerged, proposing that culturally rooted standards (e.g., “Standards for a Healthy African Community”) be used alongside legal maltreatment guidelines during initial screening. Elders emphasized shifting power and authority to the community, not simply involving them.
• Funding and costs: Ramsey County received a $2.5 million phase-in award (available through December 2026) and anticipates a new statewide allocation of approximately $1 million for 2027. Implementation cost estimates range from $4 million to $17 million, depending on the scope of active efforts, community contracts, and service gaps (e.g., rent, daycare, supervised visitation). Commissioners stressed the need to build community capacity rather than only seeking county dollars.
• Case review changes: The Act currently requires 100% case review of eligible MAFPA cases, which is administratively burdensome and may yield less meaningful data. The county and its legislative delegation are proposing to shift review responsibility to the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) and use statistically significant sampling instead. Elders and commissioners urged retaining a community-informed review component.
• Early prevention challenges: Commissioners asked how families can access help before crisis escalates, given negative historical perceptions of child welfare. Staff acknowledged the need to rebuild trust and expand voluntary preventive services.

Key Outcomes

• No formal votes were taken. The board directed staff to:
  • Provide follow-up data on removal decisions by law enforcement vs. social services.
  • Report on family locations by zip code to understand geographic disparities and inform broader ecosystem advocacy.
  • Include community-driven work (e.g., the Black Table pilot) in the next legislative report.
  • Continue to strengthen workforce supports, preventive services, and culturally responsive community partnerships.
• The workshop underscored a fundamental tension between complying with statutory requirements and transforming power dynamics to center family and community authority—a theme that will shape Ramsey County’s approach as full implementation (100% of eligible cases) is reached by January 2027.