Introduction

A Task Force was established by the MDHHS Director in Fall 2020 to address the overrepresentation of children of color in the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ Children’s Services Agency (MDHHS CSA). Children of color enter foster care at higher rates, and stay in care longer, than their white peers.

While 16% of children in Michigan are Black, children who are Black make up 29% of the state’s foster care population.

While 31% of children in Michigan are children of color, they make up 51% of the foster care population.

Children of color are more likely to be placed in institutional settings, stay there for long periods of time, and age out of the foster care system without a family. As a result of these experiences, black and brown children and their families are at greater risk for negative health, social, and economic effects that can last a lifetime.

Percentage of reports screened-in by alleged perpetrator race

Cases with non-white alleged perpetrators are screened in at higher than average rates.

Percentage of reports screened-in by alleged victim race

Cases with non-white alleged victims are screened in at higher than average rates.

Recognizing racism as a public health concern, MDHHS seeks to address systemic racism and transform our child protection system to one that prioritizes family wellbeing and the prevention of trauma. Acknowledging the need for input and efforts from stakeholders across the state, MDHHS convened individuals including national and local experts, community stakeholders, parents, and youth with lived experience.

The group was brought together to provide guidance and recommendations to MDHHS for the following:

1. Reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of the strategies identified by the Children Services Agency, assessing whether the agency is implementing the identified strategies, and seeking necessary community support—including legislative support—to implement effective strategies.

2. Oversee the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the new approach. The goal is to fully implement a new approach that improves safety and equity and reduces unnecessary and potentially harmful investigations of Black families.

3. Provide policy and practice recommendations to improve equity in group care of children who are removed from their home.

The Task Force met monthly, beginning in January 2021. The approach of the Task Force was segmented into three phases:

1. Grounding/Listening/Learning:
As the Task Force members all have varying levels of experience and touched different aspects of the child welfare realm, the Task Force members spent the first quarter of their meetings level setting including reviewing previous reports on child welfare in Michigan, listening to experts in the field, and engaging front-line staff, parents, and youth with lived experience.

2. Implementing/Monitoring:
When the Task Force progressed through the first phase of their work, they began to collect, and identify recommendations to address inequitable policies and practices across the child welfare system. As the Task Force wraps up its initial meetings, they are working with MDHHS staff and leadership to develop and implement plans to progress their recommendations and the transformation of the child welfare system in Michigan.

3. Reporting:
Moving forward, the Task Force will continue to meet to review the recommendations that have been implemented through MDHHS and to see if they are having the intended impact in reducing inequitable treatment in the child welfare system.

Charge Statement

The goal of the Child Welfare Improvement Task Force (the Task Force) is to support the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) in bringing about change and to improve the safe, fair, and equitable treatment of all Michigan’s children and families. MDHHS has acknowledged the disparate treatment of black and brown children and families as a barrier to achieving this goal and has identified specific strategies to address this challenge. The Task Force will be responsible for reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of the strategies identified by the agency, assess whether the agency is implementing the identified strategies, and seek necessary community support including legislative support to implement effective strategies.

MDHHS has identified the unnecessary investigation of black and brown families as part of the child protection process as a critical contributor to the disparate outcomes evident in the child protection system. They have further highlighted a proposed solution that involves creating alternatives to an investigation when possible. The Task Force will oversee the planning, design, implementation and evaluation of this new approach. The goal will be to fully implement a new approach that improves safety, improves equity, and reduces unnecessary and potentially harmful investigations of black and brown families.

In addition, MDHHS has identified that black and brown children are more likely to be placed in group care settings and stay longer in these settings than white children. They have further identified poor outcomes, including compromised safety, a lower likelihood of achieving permanency, and poorer educational outcomes for this group. MDHHS has not yet developed specific strategies to address this challenge. Therefore, the Task Force is further charged with providing policy and practice recommendations to improve equity regarding group home care.

The Task Force has the authority to engage in any and or all of the following in fulfilling its obligations:

  1. Review of data
  2. Case reviews
  3. Public hearings
  4. Interviews of MDHHS staff
  5. Policy reviews
  6. Budget reviews
  1. Reviews of research
  2. Conduct hearings including:
    1. Youth & Families
    2. Academic experts
    3. Providers
    4. Child Welfare Staff

Recommendations

Key Recommendations

  1. Increase specialized services and supports for relative and fictive kin caregivers
    Children are entering foster care when they could be placed safely with relatives
    or fictive kin.
  2. Implement appropriate services to reduce CCI placements and length of stay
    Children of color are disproportionately placed in CCIs and have longer
    lengths of stay.
  3. Secure funding to implement the recommendations
    CSA’s current budget does not provide adequate resources to advance these two recommendations.
  4. Implement new Structured Decision Making (SDM) Tools
    Communities of color are reported to and engaged with child welfare systems,
    placed in care, and place in more restrictive forms of care.
  5. Redefine abuse and neglect/physical neglect
    Families who have contact with child welfare and whose children are placed in
    care overwhelming experience poverty, housing instability, and associated
    challenges. There is ample evidence that judgments of neglect are confounded
    with the effects of poverty.
  6. Increase access to mental health services for children and families
    The disproportionate placement of children of color in care and in CCIs reflects a
    cross-systems phenomenon in which they experience more restrictive placements.
    There is a need for early identification and appropriate intervention to avert crisis
    and placement.

The Task Force has developed an implementation plan to move forward with all six recommendations.

Implementing/Monitoring

In moving towards the second phase of the Task Force’s work, the
Task Force employed an additional workgroup, the Implementation
Workgroup, set with the task of developing an implementation plan.

Kinship Care Action Plan

Problem Statement: Children are entering foster care when they could be placed safely with relatives or fictive kin Recommendation: Increase specialized services and supports for relative and fictive kin caregivers Increase number of childrenin kinship care placements. Remove barriers to safeplacement with kin. Create a kinship first culture. Enhance awareness, training, licensing, and support of/for kinshipplacements. Increase number of relative placements within 7-30 days of removal. Increase the proportionof Black, Native, andLatinx children inrelative homes. Goals Supporting Actions Monitoring Indicators Desired Outcomes Expedite relative andfictive kin licenses Train staff, GALs,and judges Revise policies, protocols, regulations, and statutes Establish baseline data Track and share data Family Finding Plot Kinship Advisory CouncilEnhancement Review licensing regulations and protocols Track use of licensed fictive kin Identify priorities Track youth placed withrelatives within 7 - 30 days Gather and receive feedback fromparticipants Track staff, GALs,and judges trained Data dashboard and reporting

CCI Action Plan

Problem Statement: Children of color are disproportionately placed in CCIs and have longer lengths of stay. Recommendation: Implement appropriate services to reduce CCI placements and length of stay. Reduce the numberof children of color in CCIs. Reduce length of stay in CCIs. Develop alternative interventions that prioritizeleast restrictiveplacements. Decrease number of children of color placed in CCIs. Decrease length of stay in CCIs. Decrease additional placements after being released from CCIs. Goals Supporting Actions Monitoring Indicators Desired Outcomes Improve specialized training Identify additional services Conduct environmental scan Increase licensedtherapeutic placements Establish baseline data Develop community contracts Develop CCI dashboard Annual quality service reviews Identify service priorities Review service capacity Gather and receive feedback from participants Data dashboard and reporting Ongoing feedback

Funding Action Plan

Report policy and funding recommendations Problem Statement: CSA’s current budget does not provide adequate resources to advance these two recommendations. Recommendation: Secure funding to implement the recommendations. Create a budget proposal to support the implementation of the kinship and CCIrecommendations. Work with task force to secure appropriation from legislature. Tangible staffing and resources to support the implementation of task force recommendations. Identify populations with specialized needs Gather and receive feedback from participants Monitor quality and equity outcomes Track service expansions and number served Data dashboard and reporting Goals Supporting Actions Monitoring Indicators Desired Outcomes Draft funding proposal Determine appropriate funding sources Map available funding streams

Actions Taken

The Task Force has undertaken many efforts and actions throughout the past year.

The Task Force used a three phased method to address the work before them consisting of:

  1. Grounding/Listening/Learning
  2. Implementing/Monitoring
  3. Reporting

Grounding/Listening/Learning:

The actions taken during the first phase (grounding/listening/learning) consisted of listening sessions with various groups and stakeholders that comprise the child welfare system. The Task Force conducted a listening session with front-line staff, parents, and youth to gain the knowledge, feedback, and recommendations from those with lived experiences within the child welfare system to better understand and address the issues that they see as the most important and impactful when interacting and involved with system. Additionally, the Task Force had presentations from stakeholders including private Child Caring Institutions (CCIs), MDHHS, data experts, Evident Change, and ideas42. Furthermore, each of the workgroups presented their findings to the Task Force.

The Prior Reports workgroup summarized the past actions of similar Task Force and stakeholders. The group reviewed past recommendations that have been developed and implemented. This work was used to create and determine recommendations for the Task Force to consider.

The Data Workgroup presented the current state of data collection and visualization of the child welfare system. Noting trends within the child welfare system, the group highlighted points of disparity and inequity.

The Practice Workgroup heard from various stakeholder groups to gain a better understanding of the realities of front-line staff and the issues that are currently in place. With the goal of working towards developing recommendations based on lived experience and providing MDHHS with the expertise of experienced individuals encompassing various aspects of the child welfare system. In alignment with the Task Force Charge Statement the Practice Workgroup made a priority creating recommendations to prevent or reduce the length of stay of youth in a residential facility. Another area of interest included improvement of the initial contact with Child Protective Services and families.

The Legislative/Budget Workgroup worked with MDHHS to better understand the current state of the child welfare budget to identify areas for budgeting change and/or needs of the Department through policy and legislative channels.

Overall, the Task Force has been active in reviewing the revised SDM tool that is presently being worked on by MDHHS. They are also are working with MDHHS on the revision of the definitions of abuse and neglect. The Task Force seeks to analyze CCIs, CCI reform, and identify ways to further reduce the number of children going into residential care and shortening the average length of stay for youth.

Next Steps

Reporting:

As the Task Force closes out its first year of work and the implementation plan is put into action, the focus will shift to reporting and monitoring the recommendations that have been executed by MDHHS. This will be done through sporadic meetings of the Task Force and the monitoring of data trends over the course of the coming years.