Safe Passage for Children of Minnesota Podcasts

Safe Passage for Children of Minnesota

Featuring Minnesota state and national child welfare news, interviews, and analysis from Safe Passage for Children of Minnesota.

  1. An Interview with our New Executive Director Kisha Shanks

    08/11/2023

    An Interview with our New Executive Director Kisha Shanks

    Join Rich Gehrman for this week's podcast featuring a special interview with Kisha Shanks, the new Executive Director of Safe Passage for Children of Minnesota. Kisha Shanks is an accomplished maternal and child health consultant, speaker, and author. With over 14 years of experience in maternal and child health, she has been a dedicated advocate of child-centered programming and policy. For 13 years, she successfully owned and operated a home-visiting program for pregnant and birthing families in Milwaukee, focused on improving birth outcomes and increasing parental capacity by prioritizing maternal and infant mental health. Her successes led to her consulting numerous community-serving organizations and government agencies throughout Wisconsin and across the country, by way of public speaking, program evaluation and workshop facilitation. Kisha has worked tirelessly at the intersection of social work, public health, and mental health, to promote racial equity in all spaces affecting children, using both her lived experiences and academia to inform, inspire, and empower individuals into action that leads to change. ====== Our work for vulnerable children is made possible through support from listeners like you. Thank you. Please help support our work for vulnerable children at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.safepassageforchildren.org/donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Rich Gehrman is the founder and former Executive Director of Safe Passage for Children of Minnesota. He is the 2021 winner of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Minnesota’s 2021 "Mark Proctor Hero for Children Award." Safe Passage for Children of Minnesota is a 501c3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to strengthen the Minnesota child welfare system so children are safe and can reach their full potential. If you know someone who cares about children, be sure to share this podcast with them. Visit us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠safepassageforchildren.org

    35 min
  2. Is There a Best Way to Reduce Prenatal Substance Abuse?

    05/18/2023

    Is There a Best Way to Reduce Prenatal Substance Abuse?

    We have been reviewing research on prenatal Substance Abuse Disorder (SUD) because of this legislation proposing a task force on the issue. The American College of Gynecologists and similar organizations have issued statements  opposing mandated reporting of SUD, which they believe deters women from getting prenatal care.  This (open access) article on alcohol addiction supports that view. However the organizations’ statements don’t address some nuances of the issue, and none mention the potential health consequences of SUD for children, particularly from alcohol use.  Join Rich Gehrman and Jeff Montpetit for a full discussion and analysis in this week's podcast. ========== Our work for vulnerable children is made possible through support from listeners like you. Thank you. Please help support our work for vulnerable children at ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.safepassageforchildren.org/donate⁠⁠⁠⁠ Rich Gehrman is the founder and Executive Director of Safe Passage for Children of Minnesota. He is the 2021 winner of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Minnesota’s 2021 "Mark Proctor Hero for Children Award." Safe Passage for Children of Minnesota is a 501c3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to strengthen the Minnesota child welfare system so children are safe and can reach their full potential. If you know someone who cares about children, be sure to share this podcast with them. Visit us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠safepassageforchildren.org

    18 min
  3. $98.5 Million Wrongful Death Settlement in Washington State Raises Questions for Minnesota

    04/27/2023

    $98.5 Million Wrongful Death Settlement in Washington State Raises Questions for Minnesota

    The Washington Court of Appeals just confirmed a $98.5 million wrongful death settlement against the state human services agency regarding the gruesome murder of five and seven-year-old brothers. In Minnesota, the 2021 Supreme Court Jepsen v. Pope County decision made it easier for surviving relatives to sue counties for negligence in children’s deaths. Yet there have been only two settlements in Minnesota– Kendrea Johnson ($1.5 million) and Arianna Hunziker ($1.3 million). These comparatively smaller amounts still exceeded a Minnesota $500,000 tort cap (liability limit) because they were coupled with strong federal cases. This isn’t usually possible, which explains why these cases don’t involve larger settlements. Also, relatives may not know legal action is possible, and ethical lawyers don’t solicit these cases. We hope to motivate counties to pay more attention to child safety by making this legal option better known. Jeff Montpetit is a partner at SiebenCarey law firm.  Their website is know your rights.com.  Jeff is one of the few lawyers in Minnesota who has successfully won cases against counties for negligence related to child fatalities. In this podcast Jeff explains the Minnesota and federal laws that govern such actions and the legal challenges that must be addressed to succeed. Join Rich Gehrman and Jeff Montpetit for a full discussion and analysis in this week's podcast. ========== Our work for vulnerable children is made possible through support from listeners like you. Thank you. Please help support our work for vulnerable children at ⁠⁠⁠www.safepassageforchildren.org/donate⁠⁠⁠ Rich Gehrman is the founder and Executive Director of Safe Passage for Children of Minnesota. He is the 2021 winner of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Minnesota’s 2021 "Mark Proctor Hero for Children Award." Safe Passage for Children of Minnesota is a 501c3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to strengthen the Minnesota child welfare system so children are safe and can reach their full potential. If you know someone who cares about children, be sure to share this podcast with them. Visit us at ⁠⁠⁠safepassageforchildren.org

    32 min

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Featuring Minnesota state and national child welfare news, interviews, and analysis from Safe Passage for Children of Minnesota.