The Michigan Child Welfare Improvement Task Force (the Task Force), an initiative of MPHI’s Center for Racial and Social Justice (CRSJ), recently shared a progress report. The Task Force seeks to support the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) in improving the safe, fair, and equitable treatment of all Michigan’s children and families. Specifically, the Task Force works to address disparities in the child welfare system, which historically features an overrepresentation of children of color. The Task Force is part of CRSJ’s efforts to improve health equity through child welfare and juvenile justice programs.

The Task Force identified multiple key successes this year. There was a decline in the percentage of Child Protective Services complaints assigned for investigation. The Task Force cites this as an indication that more families are being directed to prevention services rather than CPS intervention. Further, the number of children in the child welfare system dropped to 9,480 this September, down from 11,479 in September 2020. The number of children of color in the child welfare system also dipped, decreasing from 5,888 to 5,525.

However, the Task Force has also faced challenges. Despite the decrease in CPS investigations, about 250 children are still being removed from their homes each month, a number the Task Force hopes to lower by improving access to prevention and community services. Additionally, children of color are more likely to be placed in foster care, stay in foster care longer and age out of the foster care system without a family. While 32% of children in Michigan are children of color, they make up 58% of the child welfare cases.

“It is very clear we need a broader continuum of care to address concerns that kids are languishing in the system,” said Paul Elam, Chief Strategy Officer. “We have a growing number of kids with severe and persistent needs, and this task force is going to have to work with the department (MDHHS) to identify what the new continuum looks like.”

Another challenge the Task Force is facing includes residential treatment centers, often called congregate care institutions. A Task Force work group found that children and youth are often placed in centers far away from the homes and bounce from one institution to another without treatment or effective aftercare planning.

Though there has been a decrease in numbers in the past year, there are still 341 foster children in the treatment centers. Demetrius Starling, Task Force co-chair and MDHHS’s senior deputy director, said he believes innovative alternatives are key to further reductions, although there will aways be a need for treatment centers. According to Starling, there are currently about 100 youths on wait lists for residential treatment placements, and the state is working to expand capacity to accommodate the demand.

Karen Braxton, Wayne County Circuit Judge and co-chair of the Task Force, said she was pleased with the progress, though much is left to be done.

“We do want to celebrate the win, which is there are fewer children in care across the board,” said Braxton. “When you see that the disparities are increasing, it demonstrates the need for additional work to be done for our black and brown children.  We need to look at why they are coming into care, why they are staying in care and why they are more likely to go into our institutions.”

She also shared that part of reducing disparities and challenges in the child welfare system must be listening to the voices of children and youth in the system.

“When I started talking to the youth in the community, they were telling us what we can do better, and we need to take some of their suggestions,” Braxton said.

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About – Michigan Child Welfare Improvement Task Force