For those who think that CPS is dying to permanently remove kids from their parents on a whim, or think the Rekietas are probably not getting their kids back, here are some stories/info from Minnesota...
How Minnesota’s child protection system exposes kids to more abuse, neglect
https://archive.ph/Y2H1V (November 2023)
"Before [3-year-old] Dean was killed by his stepmother, caregivers and family members reported at least 15 incidents of abuse. The boy sustained a broken arm, bruises, scratch marks and bites over his body. Nine of the calls were screened out, meaning no action was taken, and the only report that was investigated resulted in a finding of no maltreatment."
"For instance, a Hennepin County social worker reported in 2021 that she was unable to obtain a mother's recent drug tests or reach her treatment counselor for an update. A judge allowed the mother to regain custody of her son anyway. Two months later, the boy — who had been removed from home shortly after birth because of his mother's drug use — died from an overdose of fentanyl and methamphetamine."
"In 25 cases involving children who died, records show that parents who were wholly or partly blamed for causing the death of one child were later allowed to regain custody of surviving siblings. One of those parents, who
was convicted of manslaughter for not seeking medical attention for her 17-month-old son after he was seriously injured by her husband, won custody of her 1-year-old daughter in 2019 after a Dakota County judge ruled the woman did not present a threat to the girl."
"In 2012, doctors raised alarms when Nicole Stephens brought her infant son Rowan to a clinic and X-rays revealed three fractures to his left leg. Rowan and his two siblings were quickly put into foster care when Stephens was unable to explain the injury and investigators matched bruises on his chest to her fingers.
Another concern: Stephens' first child, Aidan, died in his sleep while in bed with his mother in 2005.
Despite this history, Stearns County returned all three children to Stephens and closed the case after she demonstrated a "commitment to sobriety and safe parenting," records show. Rowan died a month later from a blow to his head. No one was ever charged in the death, which was classified as a homicide."
"In Dakota County, workers repeatedly recommended that a rape victim be returned to her parents in 2018 even though her adoptive mother blamed the girl for the abuse and forced her to watch sexually explicit videos made by her attacker."
"Arneshia Cunigan temporarily lost custody of Kamari, her 4-month-old son, in November 2020 after she brought him to the hospital with an elbow injury she couldn't explain. While treating the infant, doctors discovered additional fractures to his ribs, arms and legs that were "highly suggestive" of abusive trauma, records show.
Hennepin County officials removed Kamari and his twin sister from her home in Brooklyn Center, but the children were returned to Cunigan three months later, after she enrolled in family therapy and "fully cooperated" with other recommendations.
Kamari was found dead two months later. He had been smothered."
"A dozen children with a child protection history died from maltreatment in 2021, the second-highest figure in at least a decade. The number of repeat abuse victims is also up by 60%, with Minnesota's rate now more than twice the national average, federal records show."
""Minnesota has among the highest rates in the country of failed reunifications
," said Sarah Font, an associate professor at Penn State who specializes in child protection issues. "Minnesota seems to be rushing those reunifications — or reunifying when it is not appropriate.""
"Farago said she could not think of a single policy or procedure that changed as a result of the mortality reviews in the past five years."
3 year old died of fentanyl exposure after he was born with marijuana in his system, injured by his mother's boyfriend at 6 months old, present when his house was raided for drug sales, mother seen beating his sibling outside the day care, and was never removed from his home as was determined 'low risk'.
https://replica.startribune.com/inf...spx?guid=0e7ca8f5-f825-40aa-ab3d-07f92f9aa847
3 month old died of positional asphyxiation after meth addict mother was too high to watch him, after the baby's siblings had been removed from the home after a history of neglect and child endangerment, physically abusing her kids, and abuse by the mom's boyfriend and kids' fathers. She served 30 days in a workhouse, no prison, even though recommended sentence was over 2 years in prison.
"a mother repeatedly withdrew blood from her three children, ages 8, 10, and 11, then took them to medical providers for a diagnosis. She also isolated and tortured them, terrorized them, and put them in casts and neck braces despite not having broken bones. This mother had 18 screened-in child protection cases since 2007 and had her custody terminated for two other older children."
Often it can take 4 or more reports before MN CPS bothers to take a look at the case, but still then it's more likely they don't even look at it
Minnesota is more concerned with making sure the child welfare system is 'anti racist' than protecting kids. In a guide for mandated reporters they first instruct the concerned professionals to check their privilege:
https://edocs.dhs.state.mn.us/lfserver/Public/DHS-2917-ENG
The Minnesota way to prevent child abuse is to "promote wellbeing through belonging and inclusion" by ending systemic racism, the real cause of child abuse. ttps://edocs.dhs.state.mn.us/lfserver/Public/DHS-3922-ENG
We did it MN!
