Hannah Burton is the Child Safety & Family Preservation Consultant at the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). Minnesota’s child protection and family preservation system responds to situations where children are alleged to be maltreated and helps support families to care for their children safely. The department works with Minnesota’s 87 counties, 11 federally recognized Tribes, and community-based providers to support interventions that strengthen families and prevent child maltreatment.

In her previous Equal Justice Works fellowship at the Institute to Transform Child Protection, Mitchell Hamline School of Law, Hannah focused on providing preventative legal representation and policy reform efforts to help keep families safe, healthy, and together. During law school, Hannah worked with an interdisciplinary team to represent parents and relatives in juvenile court, and on various policy changes to improve Minnesota’s child protection laws. Prior to pursuing her law degree, Hannah worked directly with families as a social worker for eight years in various roles within and adjacent to the child welfare system. Hannah’s clients and her family are her inspiration to continuously work toward a society where children and families are helped rather than hurt by systems and policies.

Perinatal Advisory Committee Chair