LANSING — A Michigan House Oversight committee heard this week about apparent shortfalls in Michigan’s child support systems, while a new report shows deficiencies in properly reviewing child deaths.
“When it comes to our state’s most vulnerable population, we can’t afford to get this wrong,” said Rep. Luke Meerman, (R) District 89, Coopersville.
A 2024 report from the Office of Auditor General found that the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services started child abuse and neglect investigations in the required timeframe in 100% of randomly sampled cases.
But the department didn’t make contact within 24 hours in nearly 30% of those cases.
In eight of those cases where children were identified as being in potential imminent danger, MDHHS didn’t meet its own policy of commencing an investigation within 12 hours of a report.
The audit also found that dozens of parents or adults in a child’s household were not checked for previous neglect or a criminal history.
“They’re still involved in the child’s life to some degree, and the department dropped the ball completely with these confirmed individuals who are on these registries,” said Rep. Brad Paquette, (R) District 37, Niles
But, MDHHS leaders say the office has improved its processes over the years and is working to address these issues.
“The MDHHS investigates approximately 70,000 referrals of potential abuse and neglect on an annual basis and uses comprehensive approaches to provide the necessary responses based on the risk of that child,” said Demetrius Starling, senior deputy director of the Children Services Administration within MDHHS.
Erin Stover, MDHHS public information officer, said in a statement that the department has made significant strides since an initial negative report in 2018.
“We welcome the opportunity to work with the legislature, law enforcement, judges, and other partners to transform Michigan’s child welfare system into a national model for competence and caring,” she said. “To achieve this goal, we have developed the Keep Kids Safe Action Agenda, which outlines our proactive steps to further enhance the safety and well-being of children across our state.”
A separate audit released this month found that dozens of reviews meant to find holes or shortcomings in the state’s child welfare system were not conducted.
It found that around 150 child deaths were not included in internal review evaluations, despite meeting the conditions for one.
Separately, the department found around 140 cases they say warranted a review — but only 35 of those reviews were done.
The audit also found errors in nearly 30% of the reviews that were analyzed, including information like a child’s gender or cause of death.
“We’re looking to build more, stronger collaborative efforts,” Starling said. “Efforts to make sure we’re making better, well-informed decisions for our families so we can divert them away from child welfare altogether, or take immediate action as needed.”
