Minnesota Office of Ombudsperson for Families failed duties, audit says
The Office of Ombudsperson for Families in Minnesota received 540 complaints and inquiries during its 2023 review period, resolving or consulting on roughly 383 of those cases, according to an oversight evaluation published in January. That state audit concluded the 35-year-old agency does not fulfill all duties required by law, prompting intense scrutiny from lawmakers, community advocates, and the ombudspersons themselves.
Performance Audit Reveals Statutory Shortfalls And Oversight Gaps
Minnesota legislative auditors concluded that the Office of Ombudsperson for Families failed to consistently file annual reports, poorly tracked complaint outcomes, and forwarded confidential complaint details directly to county social service agencies without safeguarding complainant identities. Legislative Auditor Judy Randall initiated the 74-page evaluation following an anonymous suggestion, noting that the community boards appointed to oversee the office are ineffective and insufficient. The office was created to help Native American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian-Pacific, African, and African-American communities use the child welfare system and challenge racial and ethnic disparities. State data from 2023 shows Black and Latino youth were roughly twice as likely to be in foster care as their white peers, while Native American youth faced a removal rate 16 times higher than white youth.
Operational Deficiencies And Staffing Constraints Under Scrutiny
Ombudsperson for Spanish-Speaking Families Muriel Gubasta acknowledged the operational deficiencies in a June interview with The Imprint, stating the findings were not a total mystery. Ombudsperson for African American Families Ann Hill and Ombudsperson for Asian Pacific Families Manuel Zuniga joined Gubasta in agreeing with the state auditor’s core critiques. The representatives explained that severe staff shortages and an overly broad mandate made it impossible to properly monitor courts and all 87 county child welfare agencies across the state. Hill noted that the agency frequently fields calls regarding food, shelter, and healthcare assistance rather than child protection. Zuniga described the responsibilities as unbelievably broad, pointing out that monitoring state courts and ensuring bilingual training for court workers would require an entire agency on its own.
Budget Grows While Office Seeks More Funding
The state steadily increased the office’s budget from 2022 through 2025, reaching $845,000 last year with the majority allocated to payroll. While auditors noted that recent funds were not fully spent, Gubasta maintained the office remains underfunded and requires a $1 million operating budget to hire additional investigative staff and secure a larger office space. Historical friction preceded the audit. In 2021, Foster Advocates partnered with University of Minnesota graduate students to produce a 50-page report finding that the ombuds office performed little youth outreach, kept inconsistent records, and had produced no annual reports since 2017. That disconnect ultimately led to the legislative creation of a separate Office of the Foster Youth Ombudsperson in 2024.
Legislative Auditor Plans Follow-Up Evaluation of Reforms
State Sen. Mark Koran, a member of the Legislative Audit Commission, asserted that the office failed every element of statutory compliance measured by the legislative auditor’s review. The legislative auditor plans to conduct a follow-up evaluation early next year to track progress on required reforms, while the office tests a new case management system and works to fulfill overdue transparency commitments.
The legislative auditor will evaluate agency progress in early next year as the office attempts to resolve long-standing compliance failures under expanded staffing.