Clay County social services outlines behavioral‑health, adult‑protection and child‑protection pressures and program updates

Clay County social services delivered an annual departmental overview April 1 focused on adult behavioral health, substance use treatment coordination, adult protection and child protection, telling the Board of Commissioners that case complexity, placement shortages and new state requirements are increasing county workload and potential costs.

Quinn (department director, title not specified) opened the presentation and introduced supervisors who outlined unit staffing, caseloads, and service lines. Kirsten Leppard, who identified herself as supervisor of the behavioral health and adult protection division, reported on civil commitments, Rule 20 matters that convert criminal cases into civil commitment proceedings, and county financial exposure for “does not meet medical criteria” (DNMC) placements. Kirsten said DNMC expenses for regional treatment center placements are a county obligation and “can exceed $2,000 per day for one individual.”

Staff described partnerships and regional collaboration including the Becker‑Clay‑Otter Tail‑Wilkin adult mental‑health initiative (BCOW), coordination with the jail wrap planner, suicide and substance prevention coalitions, specialty courts, and multi‑disciplinary teams for elder abuse. Treatment coordination for substance use disorder now can be billed, and staff reported growing caseloads for that service (40 clients in 2023; 57 in 2024; 10 active in early 2025).

On adult protection, staff said screening and assessment volumes have increased after a state redesign of the Vulnerable Adult Act and that staff are seeing shortages of state‑operated hospital and forensic beds. That scarcity, staff said, contributes to backlogs and to higher county costs when alternative placements are needed.

Child Protection Division supervisors Amy Amundson and Michelle Thordahl reported 2,364 total intakes in 2024 (including records requests and voluntary reports), with 1,595 child‑protection intakes and 305 opened cases. Neglect and physical‑abuse allegations were the largest single categories; out‑of‑home placement costs totaled about $3.1 million in 2024, driven in part by higher per‑diem rates and placements for older youth with specialized needs.

The division highlighted performance gains: timely relative placements improved (68.6% in 2024) and monthly face‑to‑face caseworker visits met a 97.5% standard. Staff also said they have used family group decision making, support‑fund flex dollars and other prevention tools to reduce the need for foster care.

Presenters flagged expected fiscal and operational impacts of pending or new state actions. They summarized the Minnesota African American Family Preservation Act (MAFPA) implementation and the county’s estimate that full implementation could require roughly four additional full‑time social worker positions and one supervisor, with a projected county cost in the $460,000–$473,000 range if the state does not provide offsetting funding. Staff said they would perform required work regardless of funding availability and asked the board to note potential budget implications for 2026.

Other items noted included the Student Attendance Review (SAR) pilot with Moorhead Public Schools to address truancy, motivational interviewing training required for federal IV‑E claiming, scarcity of foster homes for teens and capacity constraints at regional residential treatment and juvenile facilities, and barriers tied to language, legal status and cross‑border residency determinations.

Commissioners praised staff work and urged continued advocacy with state officials for additional resources. No formal action was required; staff will return with further budget and program details as legislative and funding items develop.