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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Keeping Minnesota Kids SAFE From Predators

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Tuesday, August 13, 2013   

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Some youth-serving organizations in the state are stepping up their screening efforts to make sure that people who might harm children don't get through the process of checking out volunteers. According to Gennae Falconer, the director of Kinship of Greater Minneapolis, a program of the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches, this will add another layer of protection when screening potential volunteers, who already go through background checks, interviews and more vetting.

"And we have an excellent history with that and so do other agencies," she said. "So we have good things now, but we're always looking for ways to continue to make sure that we're getting the best applicants that we can, and providing the most safe and encouraging and reliable relationships we can with kids who are really looking for that."

Falconer said that every year, Kinship pairs up hundreds of kids with adult mentors who volunteer because they want to make a positive difference. Continuing to improve the process is vital, though, because some predators do try to get involved in groups and activities where they can have easier access to children, she said.

"We want to make sure that our kids are matched with adults that really have good intentions, that are looking to befriend a child, to help them grow in a safe and encouraging environment. And so this training kind of goes with your gut and how to dig a little deeper."

Kinship of Greater Minneapolis and the Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota are teaming up Wednesday for training on the program. Called Screening Applicants For Effectiveness or SAFE, it was developed with the latest research on child molestation and recommendations from leading national experts.

More information is at bit.ly/1czSgfZ and at bit.ly/169x3Hh.




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