Recent headlines in Minnesota involving teachers, coaches and other trusted adults accused of abusing children show us something we cannot ignore. These are not isolated incidents. Far too many children are being harmed by the very people society has trusted to protect them. For those children, our response must prioritize their safety, dignity and healing.
Child abuse is one of the hardest topics to discuss. As parents, educators, social workers, neighbors and anyone who cares about kids, we often struggle with where to start. But as community leaders, we cannot look the other way. We have a duty to confront the issue, acknowledge the truth of abuse, and take actions that genuinely help children heal. When a child experiences abuse, the question every adult should ask is simple: How do we respond in a way that puts this child on a path toward true healing?
In Minnesota, we are lucky to have two proven models that answer that question: Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs) and Multidisciplinary Teams (MDTs). Together, they form the backbone of our state’s child protection efforts.
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Today, Minnesota has 13 CACs. These centers are child-friendly spaces aimed at reducing trauma and providing children a safe environment to share their stories. At a CAC, trained forensic interviewers meet with children in a neutral, fact-finding setting. The child is not passed from one agency to another, repeatedly telling their story. Instead, the appropriate professionals, law enforcement, child protection, medical providers, mental health specialists and advocates come to the child. CACs exemplify the principle that healing begins with listening to and believing children in a safe, supportive space.
In 2023, Minnesota reported more than 11,000 alleged victims of child abuse — but only about 3,300 of those children, just 27%, received services through a Children’s Advocacy Center. That means thousands of children never accessed the full, coordinated network of care that could help them heal. It’s a sobering reality, and one that underscores how much work remains. Every child deserves the same compassionate, trauma-informed response, whether they live near a CAC or rely on the dedicated professionals of a Multidisciplinary Team. Expanding both models is essential to ensuring that no child falls through the cracks.
Every county in Minnesota has a Multidisciplinary Team. Although MDTs might not have a physical building like a CAC, they share the same core philosophy and provide vital coordination. MDTs consist of the same group of professionals who work together on cases, review progress, and make decisions with the child’s best interests in mind.
What this means in practice is powerful: No matter where a child lives in Minnesota, a team of professionals is dedicated to working together for them. A child in Hennepin County may walk into a CAC, while a child in a rural area without a CAC still benefits from an MDT response. In both cases, the goal remains the same: to reduce trauma, provide support and enhance public safety by ensuring children and families are not left to navigate the system alone.
As the statewide membership organization for CACs, the Minnesota Children’s Alliance is proud to support and advocate for these centers. Our role is to help them meet national standards of excellence, expand services to underserved communities, and keep children’s healing at the heart of the response. At the same time, we provide training, advocacy and technical assistance to MDTs across all 87 counties because every team, whether in a physical center or not, plays a vital role in protecting children.
The results of this approach are clear. When professionals collaborate within a coordinated model, children share their stories fewer times, families receive stronger support and investigations become more effective. This not only helps individual children heal but also enhances community safety by detecting abuse earlier, preventing future harm and connecting families with necessary resources.
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Challenges persist. With only 13 CACs, too many children still travel long distances for services or are never referred at all. At the same time, every county in Minnesota has a Multidisciplinary Team. While CACs offer a physical, child-friendly space, MDTs also provide a coordinated approach through professional collaboration.
Both models are equally essential to Minnesota’s child protection efforts. Our goal is to expand access to CACs, strengthen MDTs, and equip professionals with the training they need with the help of additional state and federal resources. From forensic interviewing to trauma-informed advocacy and culturally responsive care, every child should receive the high-quality response they deserve.
At the core of this work is a simple yet powerful belief: Children can recover. Abuse doesn’t have to shape a child’s future, but how we respond to it can. By focusing on children’s well-being, minimizing trauma, and bringing professionals together around a common goal, we create the conditions for healing and resilience.
Marcia Milliken is the executive director of the Minnesota Children’s Alliance.
The post Every Minnesota child deserves a coordinated response to abuse appeared first on MinnPost.
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