Hennepin-University Partnership

Home > Policy Areas

Hennepin-University Partnership Policy Areas

Child Well-Being

Educational Attainment

Impact of an Aging Population

Read the 2009 HUP Planning Session Report

Child Well-Being

Major public policy question: How can Hennepin County increase successful outcomes for children in out-of-home placement?

Reason for interest:

Too frequently, programs for children whose parents

cannot take care of them do not achieve the goal of

providing a stable and secure place where such

children can thrive. In particular, adoptions too often fall through and children placed in foster care do not develop a healthy attachment to an adult caregiver.

 

 

 

 

 

Research questions in consideration: 

  • What are the needs of children who must be removed from the home, or for whom no home exists and how do these needs vary depending on a child’s age?
  • How does the length of time in foster care affect outcomes for children?
  • Are there programs that have shown better outcomes that can be replicated in Hennepin County?

Current work:

A group of Hennepin and University staff and researchers met to share existing research and develop questions of further interest.  In addition, Traci LaLiberte, Director of Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare, and Deb Huskins, Area Director of Hennepin County Human Services and Public Health Department (HSPHD), are working together to create a resource guide with evidence based ratings.  They will also commission a student research assistant to do three comprehensive literature reviews. 

Literature Review subjects:

  • What are the systems of care needed for foster children to transition to adulthood?
  • What causes adoption disruptions?
  • Why do children in the system who were reunified then reenter the child protection system?

Educational Attainment

Major public policy question: 

What role should Hennepin County play in increasing high school graduation rates?

Reason for interest:

Increasing high school graduation rates is considered one of the most effective ways to improve the well-being of the community.

 

Research questions in consideration: 

  • What is being done in other parts of the state/country to increase graduation rates?

  • What predicts drop-out behaviors?

  • Is there a link between truancy and dropping out?

  • What specific actions can the County take to make an impact on graduation rates?

  • How do we measure various strategies to assess their effectiveness?

  • What do we know about the academic performance of the kids in the child welfare system?

Current work: 

A group of Hennepin and University staff and researchers have met to clearly articulate the issues, discuss existing research and identify and prioritize key research questions.  There are now several projects underway.

Research Projects:

  • Hennepin County (Research Planning and Development and the County Attorney's Office) will be partnering with the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare to complete an evaluation of the County's Be @ School initiative.
  • A U of M student and Augsburg student, in partnership with Hennepin County (Research Planning and Development), are performing case reviews to analyze educational goals.
  • U of M's Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare is conducting an evaluation of Hennepin County's Strong Beginnings program.
  • Hennepin County is considering partnering with the University to complet an evaluation on "learning environments", a program that places learning materials in waiting rooms for offices such as juvenile detention centers.
  • Beginning talks with Children, Youth and Family Consortium about using Family Impact Seminar model to inform County and City policymakers.

Impact of an Aging Population

Major public policy question: 

How will changes in age demographics associated with aging “baby boomers” impact County services and operations?

Reason for interest:

The demographics of our county, state, and country are changing as the baby boomers age and create a significant population of older adults--many of whom

will be active and relatively healthy for years to come.

 

Research questions in consideration: 

  • What is the pattern of housing choices made between 1980 and 2010 by residents between 50 and 80 years of age as they have aged?
  • Assuming housing choice patterns remain unchanged, what changes in housing supply will be necessary to meet housing preferences of Hennepin's residents in 2030?
  • Is there any evidence that housing choice patterns of those aging through their 50's-70's in the 1980's and 1990's are any different than the patterns today?
  • Is the aging population going to have less financial resources than earlier retirees?
  • Is the aging population going to be less healthy than earlier retirees?
  • How quickly can the market respond to changing demographic needs and preferences?
  • How should county government prepare for multi-generational housing?
  • Are people living in the outskirts going to stay there or will they move into the city because of transportation issues and the availability of resources?

Current work: 

A group of Hennepin County department heads and University faculty met to clearly articulate the issues, discuss existing research and identify and prioritize key research questions. This group identified the potential mismatch between housing infrastructure and housing needs as the first priority area for joint work. They also identified ongoing cognitive needs of aging boomers as a high priority area.

Projects Underway:

  • University researchers have met to draft a proposal to address Hennepin County interests with regard to housing preferences and population projections.
  • Professor Ross Macmillan, Sociology, has submitted a National Institute of Health grant application.  The grant proposes to build infrastructure for socio-medical research on healthy aging among the baby boomer generation moving into older adulthood by linking the U of M with Hennepin County's Medical Center, Human Services and Public Health Department and Research, Planning and Development.