Hello and welcome back. In the previous article we looked at a few of the different ways The National Coalition for Child Protection Reform is working with different CPS agencies around the country to help them overcome their difficulties. And if you follow our blog you know already know all about their difficulties. Here in Michigan our Child Protection Services agency has a long history of screwing up cases, letting important details slip through the cracks, and barking up the wrong trees. So they could use the help they can get.

Florida was in bad shape, but they’re improving:

There was a time when the words “child welfare” and “Florida” couldn’t be said together with a straight face, it was that bad! In fact, there was a point where the The Secretary of the state Department of Children and Families openly mocked national reform efforts, and instead fought for increases in child removals. Unfortunately, she got what she wanted, and Florida saw a doubling of their child removal numbers in one year.

The NCCPR generated more reports on Florida’s child welfare system than any other state, and slowly drew attention to the tragic state of the child welfare program. Over time, the attention grew as more and more politicians and journalist got on board, and slowly Florida’s number of children taken from their homes began to drop. Each year saw decline in the number of kids taken from their parents. And while Florida still has a long way to go, they’re in a better place than they were before the NCCPR got involved.

Maine CPS needed help, so the NCCPR stepped up

The Maine Alliance for DHS Accountability and Reform is a group organized by a foster parent who is tired of taking in foster kids who should have stayed with their real families. After the death of foster child Logan Marr, the Alliance joined hands with NCCPR and pushed for reform in Maine’s child welfare program. The hope was to reduce child removals and promote family preservation.

It took several reports on the state of Maine’s child welfare program, testifying at key hearings, and persuading the state’s media to look at the high rate of child removal around the state, but it finally happened. The new governor, buoyed by the turning tide of opinion, was able to institute sweeping changes to Maine’s child welfare program. The number of children placed into foster care dropped significantly, group home and institution entries decreased, and the number of children in kinship care doubled. Maine was on its way to recovery.

Change is always challenging, but Michigan can do it!

Michigan’s child welfare system is nothing short of broken. Millions of dollars have been spent with little to show for it, and court oversight hasn’t brought the positive outcomes we all hoped for. But all is not lost. CPS has a new director, and they are acutely aware of their own failings (as is the federal court that oversees the program.) It may look grim now, but there is hope.

Michigan has a long way to go, and while we’re very hopeful for our state’s future, we know that many parents are likely to get falsely accused of child abuse along the way. So if that sounds like you, and you’re fighting to protect yourself against false allegations, call 866 766 5245 right now, and get help from an experienced child abuse defense attorney. We’re available 24/7 and we have been doing this for decades. We’re very good at it, and we can help you protect your rights, and your family.