DEPARTMENT: Social Services-Children & Family Services
FILE TYPE: Consent Action
TITLE
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Ratification Of Child Protection Opiate Epidemic Response Allocation From Minnesota Department Of Children, Youth, And Families And Amend 2025 Social Services Budget
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PURPOSE/ACTION REQUESTED
Ratify the 2025 child protection Opiate Epidemic Response (OER) allocation from the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) and amend the 2025 Social Services Budget.
SUMMARY
In 2019, the Minnesota Legislature passed a bill which established an OER account, Minn. Stat. ? 256.043. Annually, the state appropriates funds to DCYF to distribute proportional funding to county and tribal social service accounts based on intake data from the previous three calendar years related to substance use and out-of-home placement episodes where parental drug abuse is a reason for the out-of-home placement.
Current funding is designated for a three-year term (2025 through 2027) and is distributed to counties as an annual allocation. In 2025, Dakota County received $116,726 from DCYF (Attachment: 2025 Allocations). This is a $2,744 (2.3%) increase from the 2024 allocation. Ratification to the Board was delayed due to uncertainty in the budget forecast that required additional clarification prior to proceeding.
The OER funds must not be used to supplant current state or local funding received for child protection services for children and families affected by addiction. Use of the funds should promote optimal health, safety, and well-being for families and their children. Counties can target prevention interventions and work with at-risk families, which may include the following program areas: child protection, child welfare, Pathways to Prosperity, Parent Support Outreach Program (PSOP), prenatal exposure cases, minor parents, truancy, children's mental health, and juvenile justice.
Dakota County's plan includes, but is not limited to, the following services: preventi...
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