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Date: Monday, June 15, 2026
Time: 1 – 3 p.m.
Location: Microsoft Teams
Registration: No registration needed.
Meeting link
Meeting ID: 245 909 045 369 1
Passcode: hn3fn9BA
The public is welcome to attend the full group meetings to observe, listen and learn about the group’s work. Action team meetings are for work group members only. Meeting minutes for previous meetings are on the Engagement HQ page.
The child welfare workforce is invited to participate in listening sessions hosted by the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families, the MAAFPCWDA County Readiness Action Team and Casey Family Programs. The purpose of these listening sessions is to hear directly from frontline child welfare professionals about what they need to feel confident, prepared and supported in putting the Minnesota African American Family Preservation and Child Welfare Disproportionality Act (MAAFPCWDA) into practice. As Minnesota prepares for statewide implementation on Jan. 1, 2027, these conversations will help identify strengths, challenges, training needs, resources and supports related to day-to-day practice and engagement with children, youth and families.
Grounded in a commitment to transformational change, these sessions deeply value the unique expertise, frontline perspective and voice of county staff, and are meant to gather candid feedback and identify operational realities that will directly inform and help shape the state and local agency’s ongoing implementation and support strategy.
The listening sessions will center on the following areas:
- Practice alignment and local impact
- Internal communication
- Training and state supports
- Resource capacity and allocation
- Cultural competency.
Who: These listening sessions are intended for child protection practitioners; however, other child welfare professionals who are directly engaging with MAAFPCWDA are welcome.
When: Please register for one of the three virtual sessions below (all sessions will cover the same material). Registration will be confirmed at least two business days prior to each session. In the meantime, please place a hold on your calendar for the session you are registering for.
If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Erin Baluyot at EBaluyot@casey.org or Candice Ward at CWard@casey.org.
Thank you for your ongoing dedication to Minnesota’s families and for lending your voice to this implementation process.
The Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy is contracting with Public Knowledge to develop the cultural responsiveness training titled Addressing Disparities and Disproportionality: MAAFPCWDA. This training will meet the cultural competency requirement under Minnesota Statutes 260.69. All child welfare staff and supervisors must complete this training to work with MAAFPCWDA-eligible families after Jan. 1, 2027. The training academy posted the schedule for this training through August 2026.
The Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy has the anticipated capacity to train 500 child welfare workers and supervisors by the end of August 2026. Fall and winter courses are being planned with a target of opening an additional 200 seats per month through December 2026, based on trainer/scheduling availability.
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