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The Michigan Code of Laws has numerous sections addressing child welfare and protection. They are administered by multiple government agencies, such as Children's Protective Services (CPS) and the registry of offenders within MDHHS.
Legislative bills regularly shift child safety responsibilities among Michigan departments: Health and Human Services, Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), and Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP).
Yet, who will watch the watchers? Answer below.
House subcommittee hears about abuse, failures in the state child welfare system
Rep. Meerman calls out CPS disregard for law and due process after Detroit discovery of three-year-old Chayce Allen in freezer
The Michigan House Subcommittee on Child Welfare held a hearing this morning to address the abuses and systemic failures of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and Child Protective Services. Both agencies are now facing lawsuits tied to gross negligence, failures that have resulted in the deaths of children under their supervision.
Rep. Luke Meerman, R-Coopersville, who chairs the subcommittee, presided over the hearing. Meerman previously expressed concern about what he called the state’s disregard for the law and due process. “This case highlights the deeply concerning way our state government treats families,” Meerman said in a statement. “The Allen family was treated as if they were guilty until proven innocent.”
The hearing focused in part on the high-profile lawsuit involving three-year-old Chayce Allen, who was found dead in a Detroit freezer last year. Attorney Jonathan Marko, who represents several families in lawsuits against MDHHS and CPS, was the first to testify.
Marko explained that doctors had reported signs of abuse and neglect in Chayce as early as two months old. Despite these repeated warnings, CPS failed to act, allowing Chayce and his siblings to remain in the care of their mother, who struggled with severe mental health issues. Marko added that CPS workers even violated the law by interviewing Chayce in front of his mother, a breach of standard protocol designed to protect vulnerable children.
“Oftentimes, these individuals we entrust to protect our children don’t act,” Marko said. “The system failed Chayce.”
Leading up to the discovery of Chayce’s body, CPS had extensive documentation of the dangerous conditions in the household, but inexplicably closed the case file.
Marko also highlighted other cases where CPS failed to monitor contracted, for-profit care providers. In one example, a child with significant special needs was placed in a home with a caretaker who repeatedly warned the agency that she could not meet the child’s needs. The lack of response from CPS resulted in tragedy when the child wandered off and drowned in a nearby pond.
Another disturbing case involved a state-contracted facility in Detroit where suicide attempts were so common that staff reportedly carry scissors to cut down children who attempt to hang themselves.
Rep. Meerman said he will continue to investigate MDHHS and CPS failures and is committed to pursuing reforms.
So, who will watch state watchers? (Aside from the state legislature, when that body is so inclined.)
The federal government, of course.
One week after The Midwesterner's report, Michigan Advance published MDHHS's version of the story.
MDHHS says its making progress in child welfare systems after 17 years of court oversight
Senior Deputy Director of Michigan’s Children’s Services Administration, or CSA, Demetrius Starling testifies before the Michigan House Health Policy Committee in Lansing, Michigan on May 6, 2025. | Photo: Anna Liz Nichols
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has made strides to ensure children in the state’s care are safe and able to leave the child welfare system equipped to succeed, Senior Deputy Director of Michigan’s Children’s Services Administration, or CSA, Demetrius Starling told lawmakers Tuesday.
It’s been 17 years since the state’s child welfare system first was placed under federal monitoring in 2008 after Children’s Rights., a national children’s welfare advocacy group, brought legal action outlining the state’s failures in protecting children in the foster care system, placing kids in safe foster homes and facilitating timely placements in permanent homes.
Michigan only met or exceeded standards for five of the 26 monitored areas, according to the federal monitoring report issued in January, although the state was successful in ensuring caseworkers have no more than 15 children assigned to them at a time and improved on creating service plans for children to be connected to resources and followed through on those plans.
Though 21 of the 26 monitored areas fell short of compliance, the report notes that Michigan came close to compliance in facilitating children in the foster care system all have monthly visits with their siblings and ensuring children entering the system receive initial medical and mental health exams within 30 days of entering into foster care.
The state health department remains committed to improving child welfare to the point that federal oversight will no longer be required, Starling told the House Human Services Committee Tuesday, noting that it’s not uncommon for states to be under oversight for decades before exiting monitoring, though the department is aiming for an earlier exit.
Since 2006 when Children’s Rights raised legal issues with Michigan’s welfare system, Michigan has removed various areas from the monitored agreement, notably increasing educational opportunities and improving 4-year high school graduation rates for children in foster care.
Starling said the state has increased the number of visits caseworkers pay to children in foster care since 2006 and has increased child immunization rates for children in care.
“I think that it’s our obligation and our responsibility that whenever children are removed and placed under our care and jurisdiction, [that] we work to expedite that return back safely to the homes for those children, keeping children safe again with their families,” Starling said. “…finding different ways to keep kids safe with their families, in their communities, with prevention services, if at all possible, to divert families and children away from our systems is a Paramount focus of ours.”
The goal of the committee is to see that kids are receiving the absolute best care they can, rather than the minimum legally required, House Human Services Committee Chair Rep. John Roth (R-Interlochen) said. Roth said he’s worried that the state health department may argue for the court to lower its standards in order for Michigan to be released from monitoring, as the federal judge overseeing the improvements said in January Michigan could be released within the next two years.
Underachieving is not the goal, Starling replied, noting that there have been pros and cons to the lengthy court oversight, as the legislature and state partners have unlocked resources and funds to improve case management resources and reform child welfare as a whole. In order to speedily convince the court to relieve the state of monitoring, Starling said it’s MDHHS’ goal to exceed certain metrics by 30% past the benchmarks set, to convey the department’s interest in maintaining improvements.
An end to court oversight would allow MDHHS to focus more of its resources on implementing services to keep kids safe and rather than maintaining compliance with court reporting, Starling said.
Anna Liz Nichols covers government and statewide issues, including criminal justice, environmental issues, education and domestic and sexual violence. Anna is a former state government reporter for The Associated Press and most recently was a reporter for the Detroit News. Anna is a graduate of Michigan State University.
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