CLAM ♪ ♪ DIG RIGHT IN AND DO THE CLAM ♪ ♪ >> ERIC: ON JULY 1ST, THE STATE'S FIRST EVER DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND FAMILIES WILL LAUNCH.

ROUGHLY $20 MILLION HAS BEEN DESIGNATED FOR OPERATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION FOR THE NEW AGENCY THAT IS PLANNED TO BE FULLY STAFFED BY NEXT YEAR.

APPOINTED EARLIER THIS YEAR TO HEAD UP THE D.C.Y.F.

IS INCOMING COMMISSIONER TIKKI BROWN.

COMMISSIONER, RAWR GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO A BETTER JOB OF PUBLICIZING AND DOING OUTREACH TO FOLKS THAT MAY NOT BE TOTALLY HIGH INFORMATION FOLKS THAT THERE'S STUFF OUT THERE THAT CAN HELP THEM?

>> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY, THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.

WELL, STARTING JULY 1, WE WILL LAUNCH OUR BRAND-NEW WEBSITE, WHICH WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT.

AND THERE ARE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN THAT WEBSITE.

WHICH WILL HELP.

WE'VE HEARD VERY CLEARLY FROM FOLKS THAT WE'VE BEEN COMMUNICATING WITH ABOUT THIS NEW AGENCY THAT THEY WANT A NEW WEBSITE.

THEY WANT BETTER WAYS TO ENGAGE WITH STATE AGENCIES AND GOVERNMENT AND EMPLOYEES.

AND SO WE'RE WORKING O PUT IN PLACE A NICE PLAN TO BETTER WORK WITH THOSE FOLKS.

>> Cathy: D.H.S.

IS A HUMONGOUS AGENCY.

NOW, YOU'RE KIND OF SPLITTING OFF.

BUT YOU'VE GOT A PLATE THAT'S FULL OF CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND FAMILIES.

I MEAN, THAT'S A LOT YOU'RE GOING TO DO TOO.

SO WHAT'S THE SPECIFIC FOCUS FOR YOU?

>> SURE, SO WE'LL HAVE AN AGENCY OF BOUT 900 PEOPLE WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE AS WE TRANSITION OVER.

SO IT STILL WILL BE A LARGE STATE ACTION.

OUR FOCUS WILL REALLY BE ON ELEVATING THE NEEDS AND THE PRIORITIES OF CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND FAMILIES IN OUR STATE.

WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO CHANGE SOME OF THE OUTCOMES AND REALLY FOCUS ON SOME OF THE DISPARATE OUTCOMES THAT WE'RE SEEING THAT OUR FAMILIES ARE EXPERIENCING RIGHT NOW.

>> Eric: A LOT OF GRANTS TO NON-PROFITS.

AND I WONDER WITH THE "FEEDING OUR FUTURE," IF THERE'S GOING TO BE SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON PREVENTING FRAUD, WASTE, ABUSE, THAT SORT OF THING.

>> WELL, CERTAINLY, FRAUD NO MATTER WHERE IT OCCURS IS ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE AND THE AGENCY WILL HAVE IN PLACE SYSTEMS RIGHT FROM DAY ONE TO MAKE SURE THAT FRAUD, WASTE AND DO YOU SAY RE CAUGHT AND ENSURE WE ARE ATTENDING TO IT TIMELY.

NOW, THERE ARE SOME DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PROGRAMS COMING OVER TO THE NEXT AGENCY.

THEY ARE EARLY LEARNING SERVICES PROGRAMS AND SO NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE FEEDING OUR IF YOU ARE FRAUD.

>> Cathy: YOU MENTIONED DISPARITIES, BUT WHAT WILL EMPLOYEES DO NOW THAT HASN'T BEEN DONE BEFORE?

>> THAT'S THE EXCITING PART.

WE'VE HEARD SO MUCH FROM OUR OWN EMPLOYEES AND AS WELL AS COMMUNITY PARTICIPATES THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE US ENGAGE WITH THEM DIFFERENTLY, WORK WITH THEM DIFFERENTLY ON DIFFERENT STRATEGIES.

SUCH AN PPORTUNITY TO BUILD SOMETHING NEW.

AND IT'S CAN BE RESPONSIVE TO THE NEEDS OF MINNESOTANS RIGHT NOW.

AND SO AS WE TALK TO OUR FAMILIES AND TALK TO OUR COMMUNITIES, THEY WANT DIFFERENT WAYS AND INNOVATION, TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS, WAYS THAT THEY CAN SHARE THE NEEDS THAT THEY HAVE RIGHT NOW AND FOR US TO BETTER RESPOND.

>> Eric: HOW DO YOU PREVENT THIS SILO FROM BEING IN ADDITION TO THE LAND OF SILOS ALL OVER STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN MINNESOTA?

HOW DO YOU DO THE COLLABORATION, WHICH I THINK HAS BEEN MISSING IN A LOT OF LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT.

>> YEAH, WE HEAR THAT QUITE A BIT THAT IN ORDER FOR THIS TO BE SUCCESSFUL, WE NEED TO WORK ACROSS SILOS.

AS WE'RE BRINGING IN THE DIFFERENT AGENCIES AND COMING TOGETHER, WE'RE REALLY FOCUSING ON CULTURE AND SHARING INFORMATION ABOUT OUR PROGRAMS SO THAT WE CAN WORK TOGETHER DIFFERENTLY.

FOR EXAMPLE, OUR EARLY EDUCATION PROGRAMS THAT ARE COMING ROM THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND THEN OUR CHILD CARE PROGRAMS THAT ARE COMING FROM HUMAN SERVICES HAVE BEEN MEETING AND WORKING ON PROJECTS TOGETHER.

SO WE'LL LOOK TO SEE SOME ALIGNMENT OF SERVICES.

AND THEN AS WE TRANSITION OVER ENSURE THAT WE ARE DEVELOPING NEW STRATEGIES TO CONTINUE TO WORK BETTER FOR FAMILIES.

>> Cathy: WHAT HAVE BEEN THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES N CREATING THIS?

>> WELL, THERE'S A LOT OF MOVING PARTS, SO THAT HAS CERTAINLY BEEN DIFFICULT.

BUT WE HAVE HAD JUST AN IMMENSE AMOUNT OF ENGAGED STAFF WHO HAVE SO MANY IDEAS, WHO ARE SO EXCITED ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD SOMETHING NEW AND DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

THAT WHILE IT HAS BEEN A LONG SLOG, IT'S ALSO BEEN REALLY EXCITING.

>> Cathy: YOU HAVE A BACKGROUND IN D.H.S.

YOU'VE BEEN THERE FOR 20-SOME-ODD YEARS.

DO YOU SEE OTHER PIECES OF THE OVERALL MISSION BEING SPLINTERED OFF INTO MAYBE SOME NEW AGENCIES IN THE FUTURE?

OTHER NEW AGENCIES?

>> I MEAN, I THINK THAT'S CERTAINLY A POSSIBILITY.

WE ARE ONE OF 23 OTHER STATES THAT ARE LOOKING TO PRIORITIZE CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND FAMILIES.

SO THERE IS A NATIONWIDE TREND TO LOOK MORE CLOSELY AND DEVELOP DIFFERENT STRATEGIES AND SOLUTIONS FOR FAMILY AND CHILDREN.

WE'RE STARTING OFF WHERE WE'RE AT NOW AND WHO'S TO SAY WHAT THE FUTURE WILL BRING.

>> Eric: AFTER THE 20 MILLION IS GONE AS A STARTUP, HOW DO YOU ENVISION A BIENNIAL BUDGET?

ARE WE TALKING HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS, BILLIONS?

>> WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR EXISTS FEDERAL AND STATE FUNDS THAT ARE COMING OVER AND THE CONTRACTS THAT WE'LL BE DISTRIBUTING, WE'LL BE AT ABOUT A $3.4 BILLION AGENCY.

>> Eric: WOW.

>> Cathy: WE WISH YOU WELL.

GOOD LUCK.

WE'LL HAVE TO HAVE YOU