Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Child Welfare topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Oversight subcommittee hears bleak audit findings and bed losses in Michigan child welfare system
Summary
Representative Merriman summarized multiple hearings that found systemic problems in Michigan's child welfare system, citing auditor general findings, high time-in-care, frequent moves for children in foster care, and a sharp drop in child-caring institution beds.
Representative Merriman, chair of the Child Welfare System subcommittee, presented a multi-hearing update detailing systemic deficiencies in Michigan child welfare services and child-caring institutions.
Merriman cited state statistics presented to the subcommittee: 35 child maltreatment fatalities in Michigan (2.04 per 100,000 children), an average time in care of 28.8 months, more than 25% of children spending three or more years in care, and about 10% of youth reentering foster care at least once. He said Michigan’s rate of children aging out of foster care without a permanent home is about 14%, compared with 9% nationally.
The subcommittee reviewed Auditor General findings that the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services did not appropriately commence 17 of reviewed CPS investigations within the 24-hour statutory window, lowered central-registry clearance standards, and failed to complete required criminal-history and CPS-history checks in a substantial portion of reviewed cases. The auditor general also found ineffective supervisory review and inconsistent safety-planning documentation. Merriman said the department disagreed with many of the auditor general's 17 findings.
Witness testimony included case examples from law enforcement and attorneys describing delays that allegedly left children in dangerous situations; Merriman described one example where a family living in a tent received no timely intervention until external pressure prompted action. The subcommittee also heard that placements at child-caring institutions fell from about 1,200 to 423 between Dec. 2020 and May 2025, with further bed losses reported this year. Members said that loss of capacity has “ripple effects” across the foster system and left courts and juvenile officials without placement options after a facility closure.
Members asked whether the auditor general’s data predated current MDHHS leadership; Merriman said portions of the audited period overlapped the current director’s tenure and the subcommittee is considering a request for a more recent or targeted audit. Questions also addressed funding: Merriman said MDHHS has received increases but committee members expressed concern that added resources may increase administrative overhead without reaching children in care.
Merriman closed by promising continued hearings and additional testimony from practitioners and local officials and said the subcommittee will provide recommendations to the full committee.
