Minnesota’s American Indian/Alaska Native Children in Out-of-Home Placement

Abstract

In 2017, 11% of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) children in Minnesota were in out-of-home care (OHC); this is the highest rate in the nation by a wide margin. While the rates of placements for AI/AN children are 17 times higher than for non-Hispanic white children in the state, the reasons for placements across all races/ethnicities are similar; parental substance use and neglect are the leading reasons identified for out-of-home placement for all groups of children in Minnesota. However, AI/AN children are much more likely to be placed in out-of-home care at very young ages; one-third of all AI/AN children under age 1 in the state were in out-of-home care in 2016. We find that 80% of AI/AN children in OHC are in 7 geographic areas: 5 counties (Beltrami, Hennepin, Ramsey, St. Louis, and Mille Lacs) and 2 Initiative tribes (White Earth and Leech Lake) who manage social services for their tribe. The total state cost of OHC is $164,509,869; and 20% of this total is spent on AI/AN children. While the state is engaged in a number of efforts to decrease this startling disparity, further research is needed to understand the underlying causes and possible solutions.