Latest news with #DemetriusStarling
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
MDHHS says its making progress in child welfare systems after 17 years of court oversight
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways 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. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Community organizations urge awareness at child abuse prevention rally at Michigan Capitol
Demetrius Starling, the senior deputy director for Michigan Department of Health and Human Services' (MDHHS) Children's Services Administration (CSA) speaks at a Child Abuse Prevention rally in front of the Michigan Capitol Building on April 15, 2025. | Photo: Anna Liz Nichols The best tool to combat the problem of child abuse is to prevent it from happening in the first place and that starts with awareness, violence prevention advocates said on the Michigan Capitol steps during a Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Day rally on Tuesday. In-school violence educators and members of the criminal justice system gathered together during National Child Abuse Awareness Month to call attention to the importance of shining a light on violence against children so communities can respond more proactively to abuse. Child abuse is not an issue, it's a crisis, Senior Deputy Director for Michigan Department of Health and Human Services' (MDHHS) Children's Services Administration Demetrius Starling told the crowd outside the Capitol. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowlege child abuse and neglect as 'serious public health problems' which can have lifelong negative impacts on a person's health and opportunities. Physical harm, psychological abuse and sexual violence are all forms of child abuse that impact hundreds of millions of children globally, according to the World Health Organization. Child abuse is an every day problem that the adults in charge can't afford to ignore, Starling said. About one in six of Michigan's children experience abuse or neglect, according to Michigan state data. 'As a society, we have a moral obligation to protect children from harm. That's not rocket science. Preventing child abuse is a collective responsibility that reflects our values and commitment to human rights. Children are the future for our communities, and ensuring that safety and well being is essential for the continued growth and development of our society,' Starling said. 'Community awareness events play an important role in preventing child abuse and neglect by educating the public about available programs services and critical topics such as parent education.' And those programs are being utilized, Starling said, noting that in 2024, the Michigan Children's Trust Fund, a statewide nonprofit group funding child abuse prevention programming, partnered with community groups to organize 531 community awareness events which reached over 75,000 people. Eliminating child abuse can't simply be reactionary, though understanding the signs of abuse and neglect and reporting systems is valuable, Starling said. To truly fight child abuse, prevention has to be the focus. And that can be hard to make people understand, Michigan Children's Trust Fund Board Chair Amy Tattrie Loepp told attendees at the rally Tuesday. 'Prevention is a really tough thing to get funded, because how do you prove that something didn't happen,' Tarrie Loepp said. It's easier to get programs that respond to violence funded than prevention measures, Loepp said, but ultimately empowering schools, communities and families to heal and learn how to end cycles of violence saves the state money in responding to violence and creates a society where the smallest Michiganders can live with better opportunities. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
