Michigan CPS Still Broken, Kids and Families Still Suffering

Can broken child welfare agencies be fixed? That's what many are wondering after more than 10 years have passed since Michigan's Children's Services Agency was hit with a federal lawsuit and millions of dollars have been spent on "improvements".

The lawsuit began in 2006 after the deaths of several children in care of CPS were highly publicized in the media. Later, in 2008, Michigan was forced to agree to reforms in a settlement, which included employing more qualified caseworkers and limiting the number of cases they could be assigned to.

According to Lansing State Journal: "More Michigan kids are dying from abuse or neglect than a decade ago, when the state settled a federal lawsuit and vowed to improve its child welfare system."

While improvements have been made, such as creating a child abuse hotline in 2012 and a $61 million dollar online data collection system in 2015, reports still show progress is lagging.

CPS workers still not obeying caseload limits

One of the biggest issues with CPS is the number of cases assigned to each caseworker. They are taking on too many, making them unable to do their job well. To monitor what is actually going on with each child in a home, they need adequate time- taking on too many cases at once spreads them too thin.

Pressured by the lawsuit, DHHS promised to limit caseworkers's caseloads to no more than 15. But have they kept their promise? According to a 2015 report paid for by DHHS, no, they have not.

Furthermore, the report reveals that less than 25% of it's reform goals have been met. For instance, some abuse investigations have not been completed in adequate time. In instances where abuse was suspected in foster case, thirty three percent were never looked into. But even more shocking, some children have been put in people's homes whose backgrounds were not screened, and as a result, some children have went to live with drug-users.

Can we rely on the government to police CPS agencies?

One of the biggest misconceptions regarding CPS agencies is that the government somehow maintains order and a certain degree of proficiency of its child welfare agencies but this is not the case. In fact, it was not the government who stepped in to fight CPS on their inadequacy in this lawsuit, it was the Children's Rights advocacy group, an independent nonprofit organization. Even more telling, the government has done a long slow dance when it comes to agreeing to make CPS improve:

Families Suffering

The CPS system in Michigan, clearly, is still broken, and just two families still suffering are the Humphreys and Bedinis.

Omarian Humphrey, an autistic 9-year old boy, drowned on July 4, 2015 while in foster care after he wondered off from his foster mom. The case brings to light how Michigan CPS not only placed Omarian with a caregiver with a history of complaints but with one lacking special training to deal with autistic children. Cyrria Mims is just one of Omarian's siblings who now have to live with the fact they will never see their brother alive again.

Another family's ordeal, the Bedinis', further highlights Michigan CPS's dire need of reform. After seeing their 5-year-old niece's mom battle with alcohol addiction, Brendan and Erika Bedini obtained guardianship over Addisyn Lantto about 2 years ago. Michigan CPS allowed Addisyn to see her mom, despite her many relapses with alcohol. This, of course, made the Bedinis very fearful for the child's safety so they reached out to CPS about their concerns but they failed to address them. But another problem, the family says, is that in less than three years, they dealt with over a dozen caseworkers. This points to the fact Michigan CPS has a long way to go.

The Solution to faulty child welfare systems?

Child abuse and neglect is a real problem but time and gain CPS agencies prove they aren't the solution. Instead, they often exacerbate the problem, placing children is less satisfactory home environments than they originally came from, or worse, they are taken out of homes without any abuse or neglect, and faced with those evils in foster care.

We must be prepared for the fact child welfare systems may never be fully equipped to handle to task of keeping children safe. Unfortunately, these kids and their families cannot go by the waist side as we spend yet another year fighting these agencies for reform. These families need assistance now. They are either fighting to get their kids back due to CPS taking them without plausible causes or the children are not being properly monitored in foster care.

What is the solution?

Families need legal protection from the child protective services agencies. When people don't know where to turn for help with a child who is in danger or CPS has removed a child from the home without justification, there must be a vehicle in place to get justice. That vehicle could be #familyprotection for many families around the globe. Let's share about what's happening with CPS agencies and raise funds to bring forth justice.

Thursday, May 10, 2018: The Michigan Department of Health & Human Services and Children's Rights will appear in U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds' courtroom at 10 a.m. in Detroit. DHHS is expected to provide an updated progress report.

This headline news was first released by investigative journalists at the Lansing State Journal. Their investigative work to uncover Michigan's Children's Services' lack of reform is honorable and equally important for seeing that change be made in how child welfare cases are handled.