Child Protection
Child Protection Assessments
Assessments are conducted in response to reports of children being neglected or abused by caregivers. There are two approaches to assessments that County Human Services utilizes.
The first is a Family Assessment which includes a comprehensive assessment of the child’s safety, risk of subsequent child maltreatment, and family strengths and needs that is applied to child maltreatment reports that do not allege substantial child endangerment.
This approach does not make a determination of whether or not the maltreatment occurred, but does determine the need for services to address the safety of family members, the risk of subsequent maltreatment and threats to family and child well being.
The second approach is an investigatory assessment which includes fact gathering related to the current safety of the child and the risk of subsequence maltreatment, and ascertains whether child maltreatment occurred and whether protective services are needed. This approach utilizes a team approach with Law Enforcement and Human Services.
Law Enforcement investigates any allegations of abuse or neglect by perpetrators outside the child’s family or household.
All child protection reports received by our agency are screened by the social worker and supervisor to determine whether the report meets the criteria established by minnesota statute 626.556.
Traverse County Social Services works with various agencies in the County, as well as community professionals and citizens to determine if a child was abused or neglected and whether or not there is a risk of further maltreatment.
Upon completion of the assessment or investigation a determination must be made if there is a need for services and whether those services would be through the county agency, through the family’s connection with resources in their local community, or through an informal support system.
After hours reports can be made by calling the local law enforcement agency. Reports can be made anonymously, unless you are a mandated reporter (defined by law as individuals working directly with children i.e. teachers, childcare providers, doctors, etc.)