Imagine this. You are in a struggling relationship with your spouse or partner, and events take a turn for the worst. Whether it’s a lost job that results in even more financial stress, which is coped with through drinking, or a substance abuse problem that gets out of hand, your partner is struggling to…
Category: Foster Care System
West Michigan’s WWMT.com recently published an article in which they interviewed Evelyn Smith, a foster mother who has been falsely accused of child abuse – by the state of Michigan. Smith’s name has been added to the Michigan Central Registry, also known as the Abuse and Neglect Registry, and as a result she has…
Michigan Child Welfare System Widely Criticized After years under court oversight, Michigan’s child welfare system has come a long way on the road toward improved functionality. But not far enough, it seems. According to court-appointed monitors, the state’s child welfare programs have not made sufficient progress to be removed from the care of the court.
Teen mother sentenced in baby abandonment case Imagine giving birth, alone and unassisted, next to a fire pit in the back yard. Imagine being a 15-year-old girl, with no resources and no one to turn to for help. Suddenly you have a baby, and no earthly idea of what to do. How to handle the…
The National Coalition for Child Protection Reform has long been of the belief that more harm is done by removing children from their homes, even if those homes are not the happiest, than by leaving those children with their families. As it turns out, they were on to something. And there is evidence to prove…
Child abuse is a tragedy. But possibly even more tragic is when those who are tasked with caring for and assisting child abuse victims, end up using them instead as a means to an end. Like Melodie Ann Brooks, the former director of the Monroe County Child Advocacy Center (CAC). She is charged with embezzling…
Wondering whether your tax dollars get wisely spent? Here’s another clue that the answer might be “no”. The Michigan Department of Human Services opted for extremely expensive legal representation in a child welfare case instead of working with more cost-effective, salaried state attorneys.
Will Child Haven be Re-opened? After a two-year closure, a potential new spot for Child Haven has been found. This shelter for neglected and abused children has been closed since January 2013, after a mechanical issue resulted in children being evacuated from the building.
When kids are ripped from their homes in abuse and neglect or CPS cases, few stop to think what happens to those kids after removal. These kids are presumed to be safe and happy without giving it any more thought. While some children are placed with relatives, others are placed into foster care with strangers…