Family Preservation
In 1985,
Minnesota legislators enacted the Minnesota Family Preservation Act.
The act is meant to assure that all children live in families that
offer a safe, permanent relationship with nurturing parents or caretakers.
The act states that in order to help assure children the opportunity
to establish lifetime relationships, public social services must strive
to provide culturally competent services, which are directed toward:
(1) preventing the unnecessary separation of children from their families
by identifying family problems, assisting families in resolving their
problems, and preventing breakup of the family if it is desirable
and possible; (2) restoring to their families children who have been
removed, by continuing to provide services to reunite children and
their families; (3) placing children in suitable adoptive homes, in
cases where restoration to the biological family is not possible or
appropriate; and (4) assuring adequate care of children away from
their homes, in cases where the child cannot be returned home or cannot
be placed for adoption.
The Minnesota
Family Preservation Act established federal and state allocations
to counties for family preservation services. Family preservation
services are typically home-based services providing crisis services,
counseling, life management skills, mental health and early intervention
services. Family preservation service providers perform a vital service
to families and the community by working to keep children in their
home environment. In the long run this saves the community (and the
state) money. It costs significantly more money to place and maintain
a child in out-of-home placement (foster care, juvenile detention
centers, etc.) than it does to provide a family with home-based services,
which could prevent that placement by improving the child's home situation.
MSSA
supports legislative initiatives aimed at increasing funding for Minnesota
Family Preservation Act services (family preservation home-based services),
especially preventative services. MSSA opposes cuts to Minnesota Family
Preservation Act funding and to legislative initiatives that serve
to redirect family preservation funding to non-family preservation
programs and services.
