Michigan In-State Resources

The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children is a national organization whose mission is to enhance the ability of professionals to respond to children and families affected by abuse and violence.  MiPSAC is the Michigan State chapter of APSAC.  The APSAC Site includes links to many national and international child abuse and neglect resources.
http://www.apsac.org/mc/page.do

American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Child Abuse with information on medical child abuse Diagnostic Centers in Michigan:

https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/Committees-Councils-Sections/Council-on-Child-Abuse-Neglect/Pages/Michigan.aspx

Child Abuse Council of Muskegon County including information on the Claudia Fairbanks Children’s Advocacy Center

http://www.childabusecouncil.org/

Child Abuse and Neglect Council of Saginaw County including the Children’s Advocacy Center Children’s Advocacy Center

http://cancouncil.org/

Child Abuse Training Services of the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan provides cross-professional training in the area of child abuse investigation, focusing on effective interviewing of children.  PAAM is a voluntary association of Michigan’s 83 elected prosecutors and their staffs, comprising over 700 prosecutors in Michigan.

https://www.michiganprosecutor.org/programs/child-abuse-training-services

Lawyers and law students, who are members of the Child Advocacy Law Clinic, Michigan Child Welfare Law Resource Center and Michigan Poverty Law Program-Clinic at the University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor, have assembled information on family law for the web site provided by the State Bar of Michigan under its Justice Initiatives Committee and its Equal Access Initiative.

http://www.michbar.org/programs/Juvenile/main.pdf

Children’s Charter Of The Courts Of Michigan addresses a variety of child and family concerns through:

  • General Education Efforts
  • Professional and Technical Training
  • Assisting Communities in Developing Services & Programs
  • Public Policy Advocacy

The Office of Children’s Ombudsman is an independent government agency with the authority to investigate complaints about children in Michigan’s child welfare system.

http://www.michigan.gov/oco

Costs of Child Abuse vs. Child Abuse Prevention: Michigan’s Experience

http://www.msu.edu/user/bob/cost.html

The Kalamazoo County Child Abuse and Neglect Council:

http://www.kcan.org/

Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health (MI-AIMH) is devoted to nurturing and strengthening relationships between infants and their caregivers.  MI-AIMH believes that each infant needs to be nurtured and protected by one or more consistent and stimulating caregivers who enjoy a permanent and special relationship with the infant. This relationship is not just a luxury over and above the basic physical necessities of life, but is the essential and necessary context within which every human infant learns basic emotional, cognitive and social attitudes that will influence development.

http://mi-aimh.org/

Michigan’s Children is a statewide, independent voice for children and their families. They work with lawmakers, business leaders, and communities to make Michigan a place where all children have the opportunity to thrive. They provide information for individuals and organizations to effectively advocate for the priorities and needs of Michigan’s children.

http://www.michiganschildren.org/

Michigan Children’s Trust Fund (CTF) The manager of the money obtained through check offs on income tax returns and children’s license plates.

http://www.michigan.gov/ctf/

Michigan Child Protection Law and the Michigan Department of Human Services Policies for Children’s Protective Services

Department of Human Services policies on child abuse and neglect reflect laws of the state of Michigan, enacted by the state Legislature to safeguard children.

In Michigan, the Department of Human Services is responsible for investigating reports of suspected child abuse and neglect.  Michigan’s Child Protection Law defines child abuse and neglect as harm or threatened harm to a child’s health or welfare by a parent, legal guardian or any other person responsible for the child’s health or welfare.

http://www.michigan.gov/dhs/0,1607,7-124-5452_7119-21208–,00.html

Michigan Coalition for Children and Families, Home of the Michigan Children’s Agenda is a statewide, non-partisan network of more than 70 child-focused organizations and individuals with a shared mission of improving the quality of life for Michigan children and families.  MCCF provides up to date legislative and policy information to allow individuals and organizations to effectively advocate for children.

http://www.miccf.org/

The Michigan Federation for Children and Families unites private, nonprofit human service providers, advocates, customers, individuals and funders to influence public policy in support of children, families and individuals’ reaching their full potential; identify, develop and implement efficient and effective services to Michigan’s most vulnerable children and families; and support and enhance the ability of Michigan’s private, nonprofit agencies to provide human services.

http://michfed.org/

The Michigan Governor’s Task Force on Children’s Justice is charged with reviewing and evaluating Michigan’s investigative, administrative and both civil and criminal judicial handling of cases of child abuse and neglect, particularly child sexual abuse and exploitation, as well as cases involving suspected child maltreatment related fatalities and cases involving a potential combination of jurisdictions, such as interstate, Federal-State, and State-Tribal.

Make policy and training recommendations for Investigative, administrative, and judicial handling of cases of child abuse and neglect in a manner which reduces the additional trauma to the child victim and the victim’s family and which also ensures procedural fairness to the accused.

Experimental, model and demonstration programs for testing innovative approaches and techniques which may improve the prompt and successful resolution of civil and criminal court proceedings or enhance the effectiveness of judicial and administrative action in child abuse and neglect cases, particularly child sexual abuse and exploitation cases, including the enhancement of performance of court-appointed attorneys and guardians ad litem for children, and which also ensure procedural fairness to the accused.

Reform of State laws, ordinances, regulations, protocols and procedures to provide comprehensive protection for children from abuse, particularly child sexual abuse and exploitation, while ensuring fairness to all affected persons.

The Task Force, under the leadership of Justice Elizabeth Weaver, Michigan Supreme Court, continues to identify problem areas, assess potential solutions, and make recommendations to the Department of Human Services.

http://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/0,5885,7-339-73971_7119_50648_66367—,00.html

The Michigan State University, Chance at Childhood Program is an initiative between MSU Graduate School of Social Work and MSU School of Law, designed to protect and serve the rights of children.  Lawyers and social workers collaborate to strengthen the knowledge base, practice and advocacy skills to meet the needs of children, youth, families and communities.

chanceatchildhood.msu.edu

The Michigan Supreme Court created a Child Welfare Services division (CWS) within the State Court Administrative Office (SCAO) to help courts expedite permanent placement for children through programs such as the Court Improvement Program, Training and Development, and the Foster Care Review Board Program. CWS helps courts implement the recommendations from the Child and Family Services and Title IV-E reviews, which include safety and permanency goals.

http://courts.mi.gov/administration/scao/officesprograms/cws/pages/default.aspx

The Southwest Children’s Trauma Assessment Center assesses the impact to children following exposure to traumatic events. The target population is children, ages three months to 14 years, entering foster care due to experiences of child abuse and/or neglect. Children with other traumatic experiences are also considered for assessment.

http://www.wmich.edu/traumacenter/

Child Protection Team (CPT) at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital provides forensic medical examinations for all forms of suspected child maltreatment. The CPT also provides 24/7/365 emergent child sexual abuse medical services for Kent County and the surrounding 12 counties. The CPT accepts referrals from medical providers, Department of Human Services, law enforcement and the court system. The Team provides colposcopy, photo documentation, case reviews, second opinion reviews, expert testimony, professional and community education, and prevention services.

The CPT has a collaborative relationship with the Children’s Assessment and Advocacy Centers in Kent, Ottawa and Allegan counties to provide medical services in their local communities.

The CPT also serves as a resource to local, statewide and federal jurisdictions for reviews of items related to child pornography. The CPT is available 24/7/365 for professionals with questions related to child maltreatment.

Please contact [email protected], or, call 1-877-391-2345 and ask for the Child Protection Team. www.devoschildrens.org

State Child Welfare Policy Database

This easy-to-use website provides state-by-state policy information on a range of child welfare topics. Visitors can access up-to-date information on individual state policies and can compare their own state’s policies to those of other states. New topics will be included in the database in the coming months.

SCAO Child Welfare Services Publications

Email Child Welfare Services staff liaison: Maribeth Preston – [email protected]

SCAO Index of Training Materials

The Child Welfare Policy and Practice Group

We have attached the three issues in a series of practice focused newsletters from The Child Welfare Policy and Practice Group. They are devoted to Family Team Conferencing, Engaging Children, Youth and Families and Understanding Underlying Needs.

  1. Vol 1, Issue 1.pdf
  2. Vol 1, Issue 2.pdf
  3. Vol 2, Issue 1.pdf

From the Foster Youth In Transition DHS Website:

The FYIT web site was the result of a recommendation made by the Statewide Task Force on Youth Transitioning from Foster Care in 2006. Over 100 members from public and private organizations that care about improving services to foster youth participated. Youth representatives were part of the Task Force and acted as a lead for each of the six subcommittees that consisted of the State Court Administrative Office, Child Welfare Services Division; the Governor’s Task Force on Children’s Justice; the Department of Human Services, Child Welfare Institute; the Office of the Children’s Ombudsman; and Children’s Charter of the Courts of Michigan. The site provides information on a variety of issues important to current and former foster youth, as well as, links to other sites that share information on how to develop supports, find services, get answers to important questions and keep you posted on what’s new.
http://www.michigan.gov/fyi

The National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD)

The National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) is a way for youth who experience foster care to share their experiences so that services can be improved. Hearing back from youth allows DHS and the community to better understand how foster care impacts young people and how they can change policies and improve resources to make it better. Your participation matters! It makes sure Michigan does not make decisions about you, without you!

A Handbook for Youth In Foster Care – Now Available!

Recent changes in financial aid expand college opportunities for foster youth. See how these changes may affect you.

Child Abuse Evaluation & Treatment for Medical Providers
Provides a single, comprehensive source of child abuse information that offers tools and resources with which to diagnose and manage child and adolescent abuse victims. It is a resource for medical providers who do not have a background or expertise in child abuse pediatrics and are striving to develop best practice standards for their patient care setting. The website is a book and is organized by chapters. You can access information in three ways: use the Table of Contents, the A-Z Index, or enter key words in the search box. This website should not take the place of consultation with a child abuse medical expert or careful case review with a multidisciplinary team. Link to Site

YOUNG ADULT VOLUNTARY FOSTER CARE

Extending Foster Care to Age 21
On Adoption Day, Nov. 22, 2011, Gov. Rick Snyder signed into law the Young Adult Voluntary Foster Care Act (Public Acts 225 through 230 of 2011) that will allow Michigan foster youth to voluntarily remain under state care until age 21 if they are in job training, in college, employed or disabled. Extended benefits are made possible by the Federal Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008, which gave states the option to receive matching federal funds to extend financial assistance through federal Title IV-E funding to eligible foster youth. The Michigan Department of Human Services is awaiting approval of the state plan from the federal government, with the program launch planned for April 2012. The Q&A below provides an overview of the program: Link to DHS Info on This Program

Benefits of Tribal Customary Adoptions (TCA) for Indian Children and Families

From The Child Welfare Information Gateway: Tribal Customary Adoptions (based on tribal values and customs) are one way to create permanent homes for children without formally terminating parental rights. Presentation Slides only. DeVerney, Sandra. Little River Band of Ottawa Indians (Michigan) Minority Adoption Leadership Development Institute 2011 Link to Presentation Slides.

Resource Focuses on Implementing and Evaluating SUID/SIDS Interventions

What Works: Changing Knowledge and Behavior to Reduce Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) provides links to resources and evidence-based evaluations to assist families, professionals, and service providers in carrying out the new safe sleep recommendations released by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in November 2011. The resource was developed by the National SUID/SIDS Resource Center with support from the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau. Content includes links to training tools for families, medical professionals, child care providers, and faith-based service providers; state legislation and national guidelines related to safe sleep; and media campaigns and crib-distribution programs. The web page also links to AAP’s new safe sleep policy statement and technical report describing the effectiveness of each recommendation and additional resources recommended by the resource center to support the AAP policy statement. The web page is available at sidscenter.org/whatworks

The Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW) at the University of Minnesota is excited to announce the availability of two new online learning modules for child welfare professionals.  These modules are designed to present the latest practice-relevant child welfare research from top researchers at the UMN in a format that is timely, efficient and easy to use for today’s busy child welfare professionals.

CASCW recently added the following modules concerning domestic violence and child welfare:

–Greenbook Initiative: Effective Intervention in Domestic Violence and Maltreatment Cases

1.0 CEH available for completion of this module
–Honor Our Voices

2.0 CEHs available for completion of this module
Note: This module was produced through a collaboration with MINCAVA (Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abuse) and the Avon Foundation

The modules are designed to be self-directed learning opportunities.  The length of each module, including the time it will take you to access and complete any of the interactive media features or reading, should be between 1 and 2 hours.  At the end of each module you will be given the option to obtain documentation for professional continuing education hours (CEHs) by completing a short quiz and paying a small processing fee ($15-$20 depending on number of CEHs) by credit card.

Watch for the release of several NEW online learning modules on exciting and timely topics in child welfare to be released by CASCW throughout the spring!

For more information on CASCW’s online learning modules, visit: http://www.cehd.umn.edu/ssw/cascw/pracresources/Modules/ModuleHome.asp

Do you know someone who could benefit from a mentor?
Our House is a new organization working with young adults who have aged out of the foster care system, or who likely will. Our goal is help youth reach their full potential and equip them with the knowledge and skills necessary to become successful, self-sufficient and confident.
Download: Our House Mentee Recruiting Flyer