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Pine County HHS reports decline in out-of-home placement costs but warns of costly new state active-efforts law
Summary
Becky Fossum, Pine County Health and Human Services director, told the board on May 20 that the county spent under $1 million on out-of-home placements in 2024—about $500,000 under the budgeted amount—but warned a new state law requiring “active efforts” for disproportionately represented children will create significant unfunded costs beginning in 2027.
Becky Fossum, director of Pine County Health and Human Services, told the board on May 20 that the county budgeted just over $1.3 million for out-of-home placement expenses in 2024 but expended under $1 million, leaving the department roughly $500,000 under budget across child protection, probation and children’s mental health placements.
“This is something that's really exciting for Pine County,” Fossum said, citing downward trends in out-of-home placement spending and what she described as stronger prevention and community-based services.
Fossum walked commissioners through trends: child-protection placements and probation placements generally trended down since 2019 (with a 2022 uptick), and children's mental-health placements remain the program most likely to produce “budget busters” because residential treatment can exceed $300 per day.
Fossum also emphasized tenure and staffing: a 2023 Minnesota DHS study, she said, reported an average child-protection worker tenure of 2½ years statewide,…
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