Republican-led state House committees joined together to take on the shortage of child placement options in Michigan’s child care institutions (CCIs) on Tuesday. Since October of 2020, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) reports the number of youth bed placements has decreased from 1,200 to 398, leaving hundreds of children in need without access to care.

Rep. Luke Meerman, chair of the Oversight Subcommittee on the Child Welfare System, and Rep. John Roth, chair of Appropriations Subcommittee on Human Services, said it’s imperative that the Legislature intervene to get to the bottom of the department-driven crisis.

“The care of Michigan’s vulnerable children is the most important issue we face as the people’s representatives,” said Roth. “We must ensure we have proper care here, across the spectrum. And the lack of a coherent plan to obtain the beds and services we need for this population is a problem. And it is not being addressed by this department.”

The chairs also stated that part of the issues surrounding bed availability stem from a reduced number of CCIs in recent years after MDHHS implemented policies and procedures for CCIs and their staff that created unintended but significant challenges for the institutions. Youth served at these facilities are afflicted by behavioral challenges ranging across a wide spectrum of severity, and in extreme cases can be violent and destructive, not only to others but also to themselves, but under current Department rules, those children and teens cannot be secluded or restrained when acting out.

“The child welfare system is not one entity, it’s a delicate network of state-run and funded programs that ensure care for children who have faced abuse and neglect, and others that ensuring the safe and proper placement of youth offenders. When one part of the system fails, it negatively impacts the whole network,” Meerman said. “The system is supposed to serve Michigan’s most vulnerable children, but we’ve lost more than half our residential capacity, and we are not seeing meaningful efforts from the department right the problem and support kids.”

When beds are not available, displaced children are referred out-of-state or put on wait lists without care, both options can have devastating consequences for the children and their families. An MDHHS report showed that as of September 2024, 122 Michigan youth were referred out of state for care, often in places that the MDHHS has never seen or vetted. One mother testified that her child was sent to a Missouri facility that MDHHS had never reviewed for safety or programming. She said that despite living in the facility full-time, her troubled child only received one hour of therapy per week and, due to understaffing, rarely had the opportunity to partake in the group therapies he was promised.

The joint committee also heard presentations from two Michigan child caring institutions: Methodist Children’s Home Society of Family Services (MCHSFS) and Wedgewood Christian Services.

“We are certainly seeing a diminished capacity of beds available for those who need it most, and I am hopeful these committees continue to ask questions and identify solutions to get Michigan to become a place where young people have their needs met,” said Kevin Roach, chief executive officer of MCHSFS.

Dr. Daniel Gowdy, president and CEO of Wedgewood Christian Services, said that the balance of safety has tipped within care institutions, and offered several solutions that he expressed should be explored urgently. He shared that staff in these facilities are hurt on average twice a week, and that it is nearly impossible to find a person willing to submit to those kinds of working conditions long term.

Members of the committees also heard from Dawnika Benson, a former CPS worker with a gleaming record of service, who shared the impact that challenging the system’s broken practices had on her career, ultimately leading her to resign and join the private sector:

“My dedication was not just professional; it was personal. I grew up experiencing abuse and neglect and know firsthand what it’s like to fall through the cracks in the system,” said Benson. “In my role as a CPS supervisor, I faced constant bullying within the department for asking questions or challenging practices I believed compromised children and families. When systems operate without oversight, due process, or accountability, good professionals are pushed out, and vulnerable children are the ones who suffer.”

Chairs Merman and Roth remain committed to investigating MDHHS and the continuing failures within it.

“We’re relying on this department to be there for these kids,” said Meerman, a former foster parent. “But it is failing them, and I am deeply frustrated by that. Parents can’t get help. Foster parents are forced to care for children who belong in care facilities. The system is collapsing in front of our eyes.”

“I’m thankful to those who came to testify today,” Roth said. “Our state must do a better job for our children. When children are in state care, we need to ensure they are safe and given the therapy and support they need. Right now, this isn’t happening.”