The foster care system is supposed to provide temporary housing and assistance to children whose families may be in a time of crisis. And while it is a system that is often overburdened and under-resourced, something more troubling seems to be happening in Minnesota where indigenous children are overrepresented in the foster system at a rate of 15 times that of their population.

Over the course of eight months, Jessica Washington, a reporter with the Fuller Project spoke with Native families, lawyers, and other experts to understand why Minnesota has the highest disproportionality of Indigenous children in the child welfare system in the country. The Takeaway speaks with Washington about her investigation. We also hear from one of Washington's sources, Teresa Nord, who is a Navajo and Hopi Indian descendant, and who has personal experience with the child welfare system in Minnesota. 

The foster care system is supposed to provide temporary housing and assistance to children whose families may be in a time of crisis. And while it is a system that is often overburdened and under-resourced, something more troubling seems to be happening in Minnesota where indigenous children are overrepresented in the foster system at a rate of 15 times that of their population.

Over the course of eight months, Jessica Washington, a reporter with the Fuller Project spoke with Native families, lawyers, and other experts to understand why Minnesota has the highest disproportionality of Indigenous children in the child welfare system in the country. The Takeaway speaks with Washington about her investigation. We also hear from one of Washington's sources, Teresa Nord, who is a Navajo and Hopi Indian descendant, and who has personal experience with the child welfare system in Minnesota.