
Building a system that prioritizes keeping children in family settings
Between 2019 and 2023, officials in the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reduced the number of children in congregate care from more than 1,000 to fewer than 400. With the GPL’s support, leaders increased placements with and supports for kin caregivers, streamlined children’s access to behavioral health services, and added additional layers of approval for any congregate care placements.
Today, Michigan continues to be a national leader in their efforts to place children with kin, expand the service array for children, including mobile crisis services and wraparound supports, and invest in additional prevention supports for families so more kids can stay with their family and not enter foster care in the first place.