Gov.-elect Rick Snyder helped avoid a lawsuit to be filed against the state of Michigan by a child welfare organization by promising to reform the Michigan Department of Human Services and bring it in line with previous court orders regarding the state’s foster care services. The Detroit News reports:
A child advocacy group backed away from plans to seek a federal takeover of Michigan’s child welfare system after a federal judge said she received assurances from Gov.-elect Rick Snyder that his incoming administration will make fixing the Department of Human Services a top priority.
Children’s Rights, a New York-based agency, had announced earlier today that it planned to file a motion of contempt Wednesday in federal court in Detroit and ask the judge to appoint a receiver for Human Services, the agency that oversees foster care and adoption. The agency cited a progress report publicized today that showed the state was failing to comply with court-mandated reforms.
Instead, after a meeting in chambers this afternoon with U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Edmunds, attorneys for Children’s Rights agreed to meet again with DHS officials in late January — after Snyder takes office — to devise a plan to get reforms on track.
Court-appointed monitors have concluded that DHS has failed to properly train case workers, reduce their workload or recruit enough foster parents.