Dakota County proclaims April Child Abuse Prevention Month, highlights prevention programs and racial disparities

The Dakota County Board of Commissioners on April 8 unanimously proclaimed April 2025 as Child Abuse Prevention Month after hearing a presentation from Children and Family Services on prevention efforts and recent trends in child protection.

Children and Family Services Director Nikki Conway and Deputy Director Lawrence Dickens told the board that while overall assessments have dipped since the pandemic, the county has seen an increase in case complexity and out‑of‑home placements. Conway said the department is emphasizing prevention and community partnerships to keep families together and reduce traumatic placements.

Conway described five protective factors that guide the department's prevention work: parental resilience; knowledge of parenting and child development; concrete supports in times of need; social and emotional competence of children; and nurturing relationships with caring adults. She said Dakota County consistently "screen[s] in about 35% of our reports" and that precise screening helps the department prioritize more serious and complex cases.

The presentation included program data: the voluntary Parent Support Outreach program served 222 families involving 502 children in 2024; only 12 percent of families who disenrolled from that program had a screened‑in child protection report in the following 12 months. Conway said the county also uses a community resource center model and a 2022 heat map to target services to high‑need geographic areas.

Conway and Dickens presented racial breakdowns of out‑of‑home placement rates (per 1,000 children) cited in county materials: white children, 0.8 per 1,000; Black children, 4.3 per 1,000; and children of two or more races, 11.3 per 1,000. Conway said Dakota County has a goal of eliminating racial disparities and is preparing for implementation of the Minnesota African American Family Preservation and Child Welfare Disproportionate Act in 2027, citing pilots in Hennepin and Ramsey counties.

Commissioners asked about referral sources and financing. Commissioner Droste asked whether cases most often come from schools, law enforcement, or community partners. Conway replied that referrals come from across the state and are true in Dakota County as well. Commissioner Halverson expressed concern about budget pressure and the effects of cutting prevention services, saying he expected "the cost to cut in this area will increase downstream." Conway and other commissioners discussed a current county review to prioritize mandated services and consider how to protect prevention work in tight budgets.

Conway also described a community engagement co‑design process in which staff sat with families of color who had been involved with child protection, saying the feedback aligned with the community resource center approach and will inform local planning.

Commissioner Hayman Rowland moved the proclamation; the motion was seconded and passed on a roll call vote with all seven members voting yes. The board thanked Children and Family Services staff for the presentation and asked staff to share appreciation with their teams.

The presentation and discussion were framed as informational and preparatory: the board issued a proclamation recognizing April as Child Abuse Prevention Month but did not adopt new funding or policy changes during the meeting.