The State of Michigan is local programs to keep families with young children together and work to ensure that children under age four in the child welfare system grow up in permanent, nurturing homes that support their development.
The programs provide services to biological parents so that — whenever possible — they can be the permanent caregivers for children who had been in foster care.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) received a five-year grant from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration to provide funding for three counties to support the coordination of Infant-Toddler Court Programs, often referred to as Baby Court, in Wayne County and two additional counties in Michigan that are still to be determined.
“MDHHS believes strongly in the importance of providing services that keep families and children together while expanding access to behavioral health supports,” said MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel. “Infant-Toddler Court Programs help us address the needs of parents and their young children so that we can build strong families that can stay together.”
The grant also will support the continued expansion and sustainability of Baby Courts into additional counties beyond the funding period.
“Wayne County has had a successful Baby Court docket for over a decade,” said Kathleen Allen, referee in Wayne County Third Circuit Court. “The children and families in this county have benefitted greatly as a result. Principles of collaboration, communication between the team and the respect afforded the parents and caregivers of the children have resulted in overwhelming improvement in the child and family dynamic.
The program is for young children, birth to age three, and their families if the children are at risk of entering foster care due to abuse or neglect or are already in foster care and could be reunified safely if the family receives services.
The Infant-Toddler Court Program involves collaboration among the courts and providers of foster care, Infant Mental Health Home Visiting Services and early childhood services. Partners include MDHHS’s Children’s Services Agency and Bureau of Children’s Coordinated Health Policy, the State Court Administrative Office, local courts and Wayne State University.
Baby Court proceedings are designed to be non-adversarial, with all members taking a strengths-based approach and recognizing the family's progress. In Baby Court, the parents, jurist, attorneys and providers meet monthly. All families served by Baby Court receive services that are designed to support the parent-young child attachment as well as the parent’s and child’s mental health.
Research shows that Baby Courts help states meet standards set by the federal government for safety, permanency and well-being and eliminate racial disparities in timely receipt of services or rates of reunification.
Among other things, the grant pays for hiring coordinators statewide and for Wayne County, developing working groups to advance partnerships to support the health and well-being of infants and toddlers in the child welfare system and those who are at-risk for entry into the system, and an evaluation that informs quality improvement and determines the effect of Baby Courts.
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