Child welfare agencies in Minnesota are using the passage of the federal Family First Prevention Services Act as an opportunity to deploy a racial equity impact assessment — in an effort to help public social services organizations determine the effects of their plans on young people of color.
In early March, the Minnesota Association of County Social Services Administrators (MACSSA) distributed such an assessment to its 87 child welfare departments. The assessment tool was modeled from a template developed by the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP), a Washington DC-based think tank, in partnership with the Annie E. Casey Foundation.