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Child Welfare Services
Child Welfare Services staff contact: Darla Brandon
In 2003, the Michigan Supreme Court created the Child Welfare Services division within the State Court Administrative Office. Child Welfare Services provides support and management assistance to circuit court family divisions on child welfare issues, including:
- Adoption
- Absent Without Legal Permission (AWOLP)
- Foster Care
- Child Abuse/Neglect
- Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA)
- Termination of Parental Rights
- Foster Care Review Board
Child Welfare Services administers the following programs:
Absent Without Legal Permission (AWOLP)
Child Welfare Services staff liaison: Maribeth Preston and Darla Brandon
In October of 2002, the Supreme Court began requiring circuit courts to assist the Department of Human Services in locating children who are identified as being Absent Without Legal Permission (AWOLP). These are children who have either run away from their foster care placement, or who have been abducted from their placement by a parent. Child Welfare Services monitors AWOLP caseloads and provides training to courts on prevention methods.
Adoption and Permanency Forums
2009 Best Practice Tips
Adoption Network Cleveland Presentation
Adoption Scheduling Order
Adoption Scheduling Order-Family
Detroit Center for Family Advocacy
Expediting Court Process (Judge Salyers)
Faith Communities Coalition on Foster Care
Family Finding and Engagement
Foster Care to Age 20
Homes for Black Children: Project Family Ties
Infinite Love Ministry Plan
Livingston County Handbook for Parents
Livingston County Parent Information Guide, Part I
Livingston County Parent Information Guide, Part II
Livingston County Parent Information Guide, Part III
Permanency Composite Data as of September 2009
Best Practice Resources
Child and Family Services Review
Child Welfare Services staff liaison: Kathy Lohr
Child and Family Services Reviews are conducted by the Children's Bureau within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, and are designed to help states achieve more timely permanency decisions and establish stronger safety guarantees for abused and neglected children.
>>Go to the 3/18/10 Memo
>>Go to the 2009 Federal CFSR Final Report (dated March 2010)
>>Go to the 2009 Federal CFSR Executive Summary (dated March 2010)
>>Go to the CFSR PIP Court Advisory Group Recommendations
Court Improvement Program
Child Welfare Services staff liaison: Kelly Howard
The Court Improvement Program is a collaborative program in which Child Welfare Services works with the Department of Human Services, local courts, child advocates, and attorneys to assess our foster care and adoption laws and judicial processes, and to develop and implement a plan for system improvement.
Data
Child Welfare Services staff liaison: Maribeth Preston
The Data Collection and Analysis Grant (data grant) funds the efforts of courts and the Department of Human Services (DHS) to share and evaluate data to ensure that children in the abuse and neglect system receive the best and most timely permanent placement possible. The DHS and the State Court Administrative Office signed a data sharing agreement in June 2008. Since then, data sharing has begun in three of the four pilot counties. The CIP reports, currently available in the Judicial Data Warehouse, are gradually being shared with trial courts and local DHS staff across the state. DHS and Child Welfare Services continue their work to identify and share data in a user-friendly format.
Foster Care Review Board
Child Welfare Services staff liaison: Kathy Lohr
The Foster Care Review Board program is a system of third-party review of randomly-selected child foster care cases. The program was established by the legislature to help ensure safe and timely permanency for children in the state foster care system and is comprised of citizen volunteers who serve on one of 30 review boards throughout the state.
Title IV-E
Child Welfare Services staff liaison: Jenifer Pettibone
Title IV-E is a federal funding program that helps states pay for the costs of certain children who are removed from their home due to child abuse or neglect. Title IV-E eligibility is based on information provided when the child is initially removed from his or her home, and the child welfare agency assumes legal responsibility for the child.
The Child Welfare Services division provides training on federal Title IV-E requirements. It has also developed a listserv to share information between local courts and the Department of Human Services regarding Title IV-E requirements, upcoming audits, and trainings. Child Welfare Services also collaborates with the Michigan tribes by including tribes in trainings and providing training assistance as the tribes apply for their own individual Title IV-E federal contracts.
Periodically, the federal government conducts an audit to ensure that states are spending the federal funding correctly, and following the federal guidelines required to obtain the funding. Collaboration and communication between the courts and the Department of Human Services is critical to a successful audit. Child Welfare Services and the Department of Human Services continually work together to ensure collaborative efforts between the State Court Administrative Office, local courts, state, and local Department of Human Services offices.
2010 Title IV-E Audit Report
Training
Child Welfare Services staff liaison: Jodi Latuszek
Child Welfare Services continues to implement judicial, attorney, and field worker trainings targeted toward child welfare system improvement. The trainings are based on Court Improvement Program committee findings and are developed collaboratively with various stakeholder community agencies, the Governor's Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect, and the Department of Human Services.
>>Go to the Training and Development page.
Publications
Child Welfare Services staff liaison: Jodi Latuszek
The State Court Administrative Offices publishes a wide variety of brochures, pamphlets, court forms, manuals, and other similar publications for use by the courts and the general public. >>See publications specific to Child Welfare Services.
Changes to Michigan Court Rules Incorporate Requirements of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA)
Other Family Division Matters
Other Links of Interest
General Contact Information
Child Welfare Services
State Court Administrative Office
P.O. Box 30048
Lansing, MI 48909
517-373-8036
FAX 517-373-8922
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