Yes, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has historically changed the laws of chattel by increasing the age of emancipation for a youth from 15 years to 17 years, to "treat" this increased population of offenders to be transferred under the laws of asset forfeiture to give corporations parental rights, to "reduce their contact with the system" because the child welfare system is the largest industry in the State of Michigan.
Besides, you can keep this population under the auspices of the State until the age of 25, now, and when you do that, through that corporate parental rights proxy, a foreign corporation possesses the control of the absentee votes of that population, too!
Lansing — Bills that would treat 17-year-olds in Michigan’s criminal justice system as juveniles instead of adults were signed into law Thursday by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in what supporters called a "historic reform."
Michigan joins 46 other states who already treat 17-year-olds as juveniles or are preparing to do so. During a bill signing ceremony at the Capitol, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist said the legislation would prevent kids from spending a lifetime in and out of prison.
"We can reduce their contact with the system," Gilchrist said. "We can ensure that more young people go down real paths to careers that make sense for them and allow them to live out their best potential … We can change the trajectory for life for thousands of people here in the state of Michigan."
Thursday's signing ceremony came after a years-long "raise the age" campaign and eventual passage in the past month by the Republican-controlled Legislature.
In 2014, the Michigan Council on Crime and Delinquency published a report on the treatment of young people in the state’s adult jails. The report found that 17-year-olds faced sexual and physical assaults and their incarceration as adults increased the risk they would commit additional crimes after release.
Jason Smith, director of youth justice policy for the Michigan Council on Crime and Delinquency, said 17-year-olds in the adult criminal justice system don’t receive age appropriate treatment and their families aren’t sufficiently involved.
Smith recalled initial meetings he had with former Rep. Harvey Santana, D-Detroit, in 2014 about the "raise the age" legislation. Smith said the push to get the bills through the Legislature was a "long road."
"We are celebrating today,” Smith added. "This is a historic reform for Michigan’s youth."
Criminal justice reform has become a focus of the Whitmer administration and a bipartisan group of lawmakers. Lawmakers have a better understanding today than they had 20 years about the types of systems that will rehabilitate offenders instead of simply "locking people up," Gilchrist said.
Former Rep. Joe Haveman, R-Holland, attended Thursday’s signing ceremony since he worked on a series of criminal justice reforms while serving in the Legislature from 2009 through 2014.
"We knew this stuff was going to succeed eventually," Haveman said. "You could see the train coming. You could see attitudes change."
If 17-year-olds move to the juvenile system, an increase of 7,564 juvenile cases is expected to occur in Michigan, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Senate Fiscal Agency. From July 2015 to July 2016, there were 29,959 juvenile cases overall.
Making that Medicaid Money.
Under the bills, the state would pay the increased costs faced by local governments because of the additional juvenile cases. The change would take effect in 2021.
State law would still allow prosecutors to pursue charging juveniles who commit serious crimes, such as murder or rape, as adults, but opponents of the "raise the age" bills have questioned how often that would actually happen.
Briana Moore of Madison Heights was one of the supporters who attended Thursday’s bill signing. Moore was charged with assault and battery when she was 17 years old because of her involvement in a scuffle at a mall. She was sentenced as an adult to a year of probation.
"Standing there and having my lawyer say you’re being charged as an adult, I’m like I can’t even sign up for the military and I can’t even vote," Moore said.
The adult conviction made it difficult to get a job and to pursue a college education, she said.
Smith noted that 17-year-olds who commit crimes in other states and are treated as juveniles are in better position for their future careers than similar 17-year-olds in Michigan.
"We are doing something right for kids today," Smith said.
Mailing Address: The Jason Foundation, Inc.
18 Volunteer Dr.
Hendersonville, TN 37075
Phone:(615)264-2323
Email: info@jasonfoundation.com
Website: www.jasonfoundation.com
ORGANIZATIONAL INFORMATION
Entity Type: CorporationState Established: TNDate Created: 10/01/1997
501(c)(3): YesEIN: 62-1714715
Purpose Statement: PROVIDE EDUCATION AND AWARENESS PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT IN THE AID OF YOUTH SUICIDE PREVENTION.
FILING STATUS
Solicitation Registration Status Charitable Trust Registration Status
Registered - Expiration Date: 7/31/2020Exempt
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Data is taken from the organization's IRS return or, if no return
was filed, from its solicitation registration or financial statements.
Period Ending 12/31/2018
Total Revenue $1,442,068.00
Total Expenses $1,339,493.00
Revenue Less Expenses $102,575.00
Reports Filed 990/CPA Audit
Total Assets $3,470,240.00
Net Assets $3,298,092.00
Expense breakdown % of Total
Expenses Charitable Programs Program Services $1,189,655.0089.00 % Supporting Services Mgt & General* $118,363.009.00 % Fundraising* $31,475.002.00 % Total Supporting Services $149,838.0011.19 %
=====================================================================
Source US Federal Central Contractor Registration, http://www.acquisition.gov/
RELATED DATA
Company Addresses
COMPANY ADDRESS
1220 L ST NW STE 400, WASHINGTON, DC, 200054013
ID Number: 801868371
Summary for: BCA OF DETROIT, LLC
The name of the FOREIGN LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY: BCA OF DETROIT, LLC
Entity type: FOREIGN LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY
Identification Number: 801868371Old ID Number: B94531
Date of Qualification in Michigan: 09/11/2008
Organized under the laws of: the state of Delaware
Purpose:
Term: Perpetual
The name and address of the Resident Agent:
Resident Agent Name:THE CORPORATION COMPANY <=== a foreign agent not registered under FARA because everyone is stealin' the children, land and votes in Michigan and attorneys have immunity...but not for much longer.
Street Address:40600 ANN ARBOR RD E STE 201
Apt/Suite/Other:
City:PLYMOUTHState:MIZip Code:48170
Registered Office Mailing address:
P.O. Box or Street Address:
Apt/Suite/Other:
City:State:Zip Code:
When a youth would file one of those Recipient Rights Complaints, it was always tossed.
I know.
I used to talk to them.
Then I would file a grievance with Michigan, strictly for documentational purposes, only, because all they did was toss, or send me a gratuitous phone call, or dismissive missive, letting me know everything was status quo.
See, there are no civil rights in child welfare because it is all privatized under foreign corporate shape shifters who like to use LLCs because it is easy to dissolve, or bankrupt, or sell, gift, trust or something, right after you get the state grants. contracts and the fake ass Medicaid cost reimbursements because, more than likely, they took out some mortgages, DLA Small Business loan, TARP, then quiet titled, then mortgaged again, or some stealin' like that.
0121028489.15000 GRATIOTDETROITBCA REAL ESTATE HOLDING LLC
0121028489-9015000 GRATIOTDETROITBCA REAL ESTATE HOLDING LLC
0121991831.0115000 GRATIOTDETROITA & H PHARMACY SERVICES INC
0121991831.0215000 GRATIOTDETROITBERGEN BRUNSWIG DRUG COMPANY / PMB 308,LEASED TO:SCCI HOSPITAL OF DETROIT
0121991831.0315000 GRATIOTDETROITZEVEX INC
0121991831.0415000 GRATIOTDETROITABRAMSON, SAMUEL M MD PC / A/K/A ST JOHN GRATIOT CENTER
0121991831.0515000 GRATIOTDETROITSARATOGA URGENT CARE PC
0121991831.1015000 GRATIOTDETROITST JOHN HOSPITAL
0121991831.1515000 GRATIOTDETROITTRIUMPH HEALTH CARE,TRIUMPH HOSPITAL OF DETROIT
0121991832.0015000 GRATIOTDETROITSARATOGA GENERAL HOSPITAL
0121991832.0115000 GRATIOTDETROITUNIVERSAL HOSPITAL SERVICES INC
0121991833.1015000 GRATIOTDETROITCOMPUTER SCIENCES CORPORATION / DBA: COMPUTER SCIENCES<====Dyncorp
0121991834.0115000 GRATIOTDETROITSARATOGA MGMT INC
All they ever want is to turn a profit.
How is it one can turn a profit when engaging in the healing of a child?
Medicaid Fraud in Child Welfare, of course.
Oh, there are so many fraudulent billing scams that go on in child welfare.
I used to let them take me in their offices and show me everything, including voicing their grievances that Michigan will not do a damn thing for these children.
Remember, there are no civil rights in child welfare because it is privatized, where the foreign entity comes up with its own, self-reporting, of all the wonderful things they do for kids.
Lawmakers call for more review of post-release deaths
Notification of Death Report
LANSING (WXYZ) — Since 2017, at least four patients have died within two days of being released from StoneCrest Hospital, a private inpatient psychiatric facility in Detroit. Despite being notified of each of the deaths, state officials never investigated.
Officials with LARA, the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, say they’re not legally required to follow up on deaths like these, nor are they empowered to by statute. Today, in response to an investigation by 7 Action News, two state senators are calling for changes to ensure that post-release deaths are investigated.
RELATED: A Detroit psychiatric hospital released him Thursday, he took his life Friday
At 162 beds, StoneCrest is one of the largest private psychiatric facilities in the state. 7 Action News first investigated the hospital earlier this year, after one of its patients, Joe Sadlak, admitted to murder only two days after he was discharged.
He had been treated at StoneCrest for less than a week.
“You put my son on four different kinds of medication and knew his drug history,” said Pamela Rowley, Joe’s mother, “and you let him go.”
In Michigan, when a psychiatric patient dies within two days of being released from a hospital, the state requires the hospital to report it. Those reports come to the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.
In September 2017, StoneCrest reported that a patient came to its hospital after stating he “was not happy in his life and wanted to die.” After treatment, he was released and died shortly thereafter. StoneCrest reported the death to the state, listing the cause as “not known.”
Less than a month later, another patient came to Stonecrest after saying he wanted to “jump off a bridge.” Within 2 days of release, he was found dead in his bathtub with his throat cut. State officials from LARA didn’t investigate.
A third death would be reported the following July. A woman came to Stonecrest with a history of suicidal behavior. She was treated, released and—the next day—found dead in a river. The cause of death was listed as “unknown.” Again, state officials didn’t investigate.
Then, this past June, a 29-year-old Detroit man came to Stonecrest after displaying severe psychotic behavior. He was deemed well enough to be released, but took his life the next day.
“Did your office ask any questions about that?” asked Channel 7’s Ross Jones.
“Again, we’ve been doing our statutory requirement,” said Larry Horvath, the Director of the Bureau of Community and Health System at LARA
“Did you ask any questions about that?” Jones asked again.
“We required the report to be filled out,” Horvath said.
“And that’s it,” Jones replied.
“Yes,” Horvath said.
Officials asked no questions, according to a spokesman, because “LARA is not by law or rule required to follow up on these reported deaths,” nor—they say— does the law give them the express authority to. State watchdogs are empowered to investigate only deaths that occur in restraints, Horvath said.
The death reports are reviewed during regular inspections, but no investigations are launched. Horvath said he hopes hospitals use the reports to guide their treatment.
"If they're starting to notice a pattern with a cause of death that occurs have discharge, hopefully they're starting to work with their medical directors, their nursing staff, their social workers to put corrections in place to address it," he said.
“It’s inexcusable,” said Mark Reinstein, President and CEO of the Mental Health Association in Michigan. “To hide behind, ‘It’s not our legal responsibility.’ Well then whose is it?”
By law, LARA is required to report all psychiatric deaths reported to them to the state legislature. But they haven’t been, 7 Action News has learned, for at least the last three years. In August, prompted by our reporting, the state submitted reports for 2016, 2017 and 2018, though they did not include post-release deaths.
Following our questions, LARA changed the reporting requirements for post-release deaths—no longer requiring that deaths occurring within 48 hours of discharge be reported. Spokesman Jason Moon said changing the policy aligns LARA with state law, which doesn’t require notification of post-release deaths.
The decision stunned multiple mental health advocates, including Andrea Rizor, the Director of Advocacy for Michigan Protection and Advocacy Services,.
“It looks like they don’t want to know if it’s a suspicious death or not,” she said. "It doesn't make sense."
This week, in response to 7 Action News' findings, the Democratic leader in the state senate is calling for changes.
“Stories like these are deeply concerning, and as a state we should be doing all that we can to help stop these preventable deaths,” said Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich (D-Flint). “The department should have the ability to identify concerning patterns, and if it requires a legislative fix to make sure they are empowered to do so, we will write the bill.”
The Auditor General has conducted numerous Single Audits, where Michigan was found, over and over again, to violate general principals of GAGAS when it came to billing of Medicaid.
I also remember a particular extraordinary writ mandating the Office of Children's Ombudsman to refer any suspected violations of law and policy over to the Attorney General, where the court just violated multiple rules of law when it came to due process, claiming that it was not swayed.
So, now, the House is proceeding to allow the Auditor General access to confidential records, which will, obviously, included the Department of Health and Human Services in Child Welfare.
This is not going to be pretty, because those findings will be made public, which means Nancy Edmunds will be forced to accept the information that I am sure someone will enter into the record, some how, some way, to show, Michigan does nasty things to tiny humans in Foster Care and Adoption.
There are rumors that Michigan maintains double books, but hey, what do I know?
I know the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General patiently awaits for those Child Welfare confidential records, which include Michigan Children's Institute.
Since there is a movement to expand background checks on gun licensing to include confidential records of youth, I am quite sure there will be a brave soul from the legal community to step up to the plate and demand access to those child welfare records, hidden behind the iron curtain of Child Welfare, because that is where you shall find the horrors of trafficking tiny humans in Michigan.
Lansing — In a nearly unanimous vote, the Michigan House approved legislation Wednesday that would guarantee the auditor general access to confidential information related to an investigation, legislation vetoed last year by then-Gov. Rick Snyder.
Auditor general investigations, which keep tabs on state government operations, have been slowed in the past by state departments concerned about handing over documents they consider confidential, said the legislation's sponsor Rep. Steve Johnson, R-Wayland.
In 2018, the auditor general went so far as to sue the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services for access to adoption records needed for a performance audit.
The bills passed 103-3 in the House Wednesday would ensure “checks and balances” remain in place between the legislative and executive branches, Johnson said.
“One of the checks that the legislative branch has on the executive branch is constitutionally we have an auditor general and they’re able to go through and make sure that the executive branch is doing their job correctly,” Johnson said. “In order to do that, they need access to all their information, all their files.”
In 1993, then-Attorney General Frank Kelley opined that the auditor general could review confidential information from the Michigan Employment Security Commission, but the auditor general would then be bound by the same confidentiality rules governing the commission's handling of the information.
Similar to that opinion, the House bills would allow the auditor general to investigate electronically stored and confidential information in each state agency and include language holding the auditor general liable if the office divulges the confidential information.
Snyder called the legislation “an unconstitutional overreach that would blur the separation between the legislative and other branches” in his December veto letter.
The proposal would give the legislatively appointed auditor general "unrestricted access to all executive functions, whether it was conducting an audit of those functions or not," he wrote. It could result in "inadvertent disclosures of personally identifying, protected health, or other privileged or confidential information,” and potentially expose that information to data security threats.
The legislation had nearly unanimous support last year when it passed the House 107-2 and the Senate 37-0.
Johnson said Snyder was “dead wrong” in his arguments regarding the separation of powers and said the separation was why the Legislature needed the tool. The executive branch has its own form of checks in the form of vetoes and the leeway it has in implementing legislatively-enacted laws, Johnson said.
The legislation's bipartisan sponsorship — Democratic Rep. David LaGrand is a sponsor of one of bills — could help it earn Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's signature this time around, Johnson said.
“I think Gov. Whitmer has been a very pro-government transparency governor so we’re hoping that she continues that record on this bill,” he said.
But Whitmer's office indicated a veto is likely unless the legislation is amended.
"As written, the bills have serious problems — constitutional and otherwise — and the governor would not sign them," Whitmer spokesman Zack Pohl said in a statement.
Some of the confidential information that could be at stake are adoption and foster care records, health records, or personally identifiable information. Confidentiality excuses surrounding those items could be used as an out by problematic departments facing an uncomplimentary audit, Johnson said.
“You have different departments that have systemic issues that need to be fixed,” Johnson said. “We don’t know about it because we’re not getting all the information on it.”
"It's ok. I know no one cares. They told me that one day my prayers would be answered when I age out of Foster Care."
Well, I do not know if these boys were charged by the State of Michigan or the County.
Can you imagine if the State of Michigan started convicting Foster Kids raping Foster Kids, or Foster Kids being raped by Foster Parents, or Foster Kids being raped by Foster Care Workers?
You can not call it child trafficking because there is no monetary exchange when it comes to a Foster Kid getting raped, unless you consider fraudulent billing Medicaid for outrageous adult levels of psychotropics to silence the screaming.
You can not even call CPS on the privately contracted foreign corporation who is the legal guardian of the Foster Kid getting raped.
Battle Creek – Three boys who were 11, 12 and 13 at the time they were charged have been convicted of raping two young brothers, ages 6 and 8.
The Battle Creek Enquirer reports a jury of four men and two women found two of the older boys guilty late Thursday of three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and the other guilty of two counts. They will be sentenced in the juvenile delinquency case on Oct. 23 following a pre-sentence investigation including psychological exams on each of the boys.
The defendants, including two brothers, were charged in June 2018.
The victims told their mother they were taken to an old garage by the other boys and attacked multiple times over a month.
Defense attorneys argued the victims had been coached.
The following links are introductions to the history of the soon to be two decades long case on the horrors of Michigan Child Welfare System in the Michigan Eastern District Court, Nancy Edmunds, presiding.
Dear Governor Whitmer, Attorney General Nessel, and other members of the Legislature,
I am reaching out to you all today with the hope that discussions can finally take place about some very serious issues within the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. As someone that has been working with families for a number of years that are involved with CPS and by means of my own investigating, I must make you all aware of the situation.
I have sent this document to the court and parties involved in the Dwayne B. lawsuit filed by Children's Rights and intend to follow up with Federal agencies as well. I would have provided far more, but current state laws do not allow me to do so and without legal permission, I can only relay what I know and have come across.
While the last year we have heard horror stories about how immigrant kids are being ripped from their families and the permanent damage that it does to them, the same thing is happening right in our own backyards and it is not getting any attention. Why is that? I can think of several reasons with the primary one being the fallacy that MDHHS propagates that they only get involved and remove kids when it is truly necessary. That gets compounded by the fact that investigations get derailed by their privacy claims yet you all can have people sign waivers to help get families food stamps, Medicaid and work out Disability issues. How is health information any less sensitive? And why in the last year, have two separate entities with one being the Auditor General had to sue to get information that they are allowed to have?
As you will see in my Notice, the reason seems to be that the Department has far too much to hide and that Child Welfare is in worse shape than anyone has been allowed to know. We are talking at least half a dozen deaths because of their failures that I have been able to find, and there are likely far more. That doesn't include the two adult deaths that happened in two murder suicides that took the lives of 4 children. There are other considerable failures that also need to be addressed.
It was my goal to summarize as best as possible and to show how there are consistent issues that no one seems to be properly addressing and that includes the Judicial Branch and Departments such as MDHHS, the State Court Administrator's Office, Office of Children's Ombudsman and other safety measures that have allegedly been put in place. However, having years of information stored up and not being able to refer to documents I had to describe what is going on and it ended up being considerably longer than planned. You will want to set aside some time to read and consider what is contained within it because so many things depend on legislators calling MDHHS to the table to get control back and proper oversight of their operations put in place.
I will not sugar coat what is happening and some of what you read will be hard to stomach and even to believe, part of that is because MDHHS has become a master of propaganda and hiding the reality of what is going on. Most of you will never have had an encounter with CPS; count yourself very lucky and accept that you really don't have an understanding of what it is like to deal with them. I would have to make an educated guess that even fewer have sat through court proceedings in a CPS case and it is time that you do so. Ask questions, expect to get very few answers. When you get answers, ask to see the data itself that merits the response you get; don't be surprised if you are told you cannot see it because, apparently, just numbers are considered violating privacy.
I, personally, expect to see some kind of retaliation in response to all of this. To what degree is unknown. Someone may look in the system and see children living with us and make a random call to CPS when there are no children in our home. Anything could happen and I expect it to come mainly from Arenac County because I have called them out specifically in my notice. Why? Because they are not following laws or policies, are changing court documents after they are filed, not properly placing complaints into the system, they have tried to have a family "swatted" based on so-called evidence they likely obtained from a wiretap or electronic surveillance that they had no reason to be doing They have placed children in non-licensed foster homes that no one knows how they got there, they predetermine cases with the judge as it would appear, the list goes on. They will also work overtime to discredit me and anyone else that speaks out about the county but I have my proofs in order. The problem is that I cannot legally share them with any of you. We need a law immediately that allows families to share documents with legislators without penalty so that you all can see what is going on. The only things that can currently be shared are things like newspaper articles and other publicly available information.
The time to protect your most vulnerable constituents is now. It can only be done through action and that requires listening and investigation by you and your staffs. Ask yourselves, why has the state been in this lawsuit for more than 10 years with little forward progress and now a $230,000,000 computer program has to be scrapped and a new one implemented? If the computer system is so bad, how can anything coming from it be trusted? Why are workers not telling parents who have concerns of abuse and neglect in foster homes to report it to central intake? Far too many questions and not enough acceptable answers. A word of caution: I have heard reports of legislators being bribed or threatened in various ways when they attempt to take on MDHHS so be prepared to report any and all of it to the proper authorities. Record conversations that you have with their staff or anyone that reaches out to you on their behalf. Do so without disclosing you are doing so because that is one of the few ways you will have to protect yourself. This is not legal advice, but it is advice given to me by an attorney when we were dealing with CPS.
It must also be made known that by not providing appropriate or adequate services and by lying on petitions while claiming Federal funds, MDHHS could very well be committing massive and widespread fraud for CPATA, ASFA and Social Security funds in addition to Medicaid funds. In addition, the Health Department is illegally trying to find ways around the FERPA laws when it comes to vaccine waivers. As such, the state is wide open to Federal lawsuits to recover funds as well as being placed in Federal Receivership if these matters are not immediately addressed and a Federal Investigation is done.
I am happy to answer any questions you have to the best of my ability and if I do not immediately have the answer, I will do my best to get answers for you. If you all can get legislation passed to allow parents to share case documents with you, I can get you more than enough parents to share their cases with you so that you can see firsthand what is truly going on in Child Welfare. I am also willing to do what I can to be a part of the solution moving forward, I don't want to be just another person complaining.
Not one mention of parental rights when it comes to citizenship.
They debate and orate between the merits of the word "shall" yet never mention the children.
There are many, many other ways for individuals to openly enter our country, where many are quite hospitable like coming in a a child servant, a child bride or adoption.
As a matter of fact, children who have no citizenship through judicial determination in the legal severance of parental rights, are placed under the jurisdiction of the States, under someone like the Superintendent of the Michigan Children's Institute, who then contracts out to foreign, private corporations, who file legal guardianship over the children who were wards of the state, but now wards who have been spirited away on UCC Public Private Partner-Ships to their foreign lands to be deposited in their own children's trusts.
Here are some things these "Legal Geniuses" (trademark pending) can legally masticate:
If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound?
If a State Court terminates parental rights, what is the nationality of the child now under the legal guardianship of a foreign corporation?
FUN FACT! DEATH IN FOSTER CARE IS CALLED A STATISTICAL ERROR!
The Office of Children's Ombudsman is a poorly constructed cover up operation that is powerless, to the point that their reports are not allowed to be entered into a court of record, they do not refer anything for suspected, alleged, violations of law or policy, and absolutely will not refer to the State Attorney General for Medicaid fraud in child welfare.
These people allowed the murderers of Ricky Holland to adopt his siblings, during a murder investigation, and not a damn thing has been done.
The Office of Children's Ombudsman used to have a category called "Valid-Not-Open" meaning, a complain of a child being tortured and trafficked in foster care is valid, but due to budget constraints and personal self-interests, there will be no investigation.
If there were investigations, there would be found billions upon billions in Medicaid fraud in child welfare, and as we all know, the system is too big to fail, for it is nothing but the residuals of the peculiar institution, maximizing revenue for foreign corporations, in the name of the tax exempt god.
These people make you pray as your child is being drugged as a lab rat and being raped, nightly.
in Michigan’s child death reporting system, a state audit is demanding a fix.
A report released Tuesday by Michigan’s Auditor General found Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services failed to notify a watchdog promptly of 206 child deaths from 2014 through 2017.
That watchdog, the Office of Children’s Ombudsman, is an independent agency mandated by state law to review the deaths of children who have had recent contact with Michigan’s foster care, child welfare or child protection system. The goal is to identify if Children's Protective Services caseworkers failed to follow policy or could have done things differently to better protect the child.
But the ombudsman can’t conduct those reviews if MDHHS fails to notify the watchdog of qualifying deaths.
"It’s certainly a huge concern that these child death alerts were missed because it’s important that we’re the oversight for (CPS within MDHHS)," said Lisa McCormick, the recently appointed head off the Office of Children’s Ombudsman.
McCormick stressed the OCO ultimately did receive and review all of the unreported death cases.
"There were 206 cases that we went back and reviewed, but the important thing to note is that we did review them, and that MDHHS came to the table and they worked with us to make sure we were getting all the cases," she said.
In recent years, on average, the ombudsman received 267 child death alerts annually.
The 206 missed alerts comprised 20% of the total death cases reported over a four-year period.
The audit also urged the ombudsman to find ways to independently identify child deaths that require OCO reviews.
"The auditors made a valid point, which is why we have auditors to improve our procedures, to tell us this is a deficit, this is a hole that’s missing, let’s address it and move forward," McCormick said.
Nancy Edmunds, the judge presiding over the decade lingering Children's Rights case, Dwayne B. v. Granholm, has yet to figure out that nothing has changed.
Every time Kevin Ryan submits another court monitored report on the progress of Michigan's child welfare system, he only reports on microcosmic duct taped repairs to the conditions of its operations, or, rather, in more realistic terms not reported to the court, the drugging, rapes, beatings, torture, suicides, unsuccessful or successful, oh, and that pesky issue of child trafficking.
Now, mind you, Derrick is only a teen.
He is not a lawyer.
He is not a judge.
He is not an accountant.
What he is, is a young man with a keen eye and a quick response for a brave solution, skills necessary to preside over the Michigan federal case on conditions of foster care and adoption.
So, riddle me this.
How come foster kids get passed around to lots of different places, with their worldly possessions in a plastic bag, with no shoes?
The last time I checked there was federal funding appropriated to the States to provide for the necessary needs of the child.
FUN FACT! CPS CAN REMOVE YOUR CHILD AND PLACE THEM IN FOSTER CARE BECAUSE FAILURE TO PROVIDE FOR THE NECESSARY NEEDS OF THE CHILD IS CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT
It seems we have two issues here, the first being an instance of some form of defalcation in funding, because I would really like to know why a young man has to step up and shed light upon the fact that these kids have no shoes.
The second being that Michigan is abusing and neglecting the children in its care and no one cares but this young man.
Rock on, Derrick, I see a very bright future for you.
I wonder if Nancy Edmunds can finally see that the Michigan Child Welfare System Sucks?
(FOX 2) - Seeing the need for foster children in our area, a Holly teen decided to do something about it.
He doesn't know what it's like to walk in their shoes, but he is trying to make sure they have a new pair of their own.
"I just thought helping the community would be a good thing to do," said Derrick Newman.
"Once he kids an idea, it is forward ho!" said his dad Steven Newman.
His dad isn't exaggerating. You first met Derrick Newman in August of 2017 when he began collecting patches from police and fire departments all over the world
.
After FOX 2's story aired. his collection grew from 1,000 to almost 5,000 - with people sending them to him from as far away as Australia. His patches were sewn onto blue banners paying tribute to the officers and firefighters who put their lives on the line every day.
Now at 14, Derrick has a new mission - his dad and step-mother are in the process of adopting a foster child which got Derrick thinking.
"Most people will give them tooth brushes, toothpaste, shirts stuff like that," Derrick said. "Not shoes."
Learning about the tough times foster kids experience like often moving from home to home, Derrick decided he wanted to help.
He started a shoe drive on Facebook called "Going Somewhere (Shoes for Children in Foster Care). He is asking people to donate new pairs of money so they can purchase footwear for kids in need.
"I think that kids that are going to need a little more time to be adopted, should be able to have new pair of shoes when they need it," he said.
"A lot of foster kids - they are kids - they grow out of shoes quick, just like any kid," Steven said. "But they don't have the support to get new shoes all the time. Hopefully this will help."
Slowly the shoes are trickling in - but with the help of his dad, Derrick refuses to give up. He visits stores, posting videos and hoping people will find it in their hearts to help.
"I think it is awesome that we have gotten so much donated to us, to be able to get shoes," Derrick said.
The foster care agency connected to the disappearance and drowning of a severely autistic boy has closed under an agreement with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
Alternatives Services for Children and Families voluntarily surrendered its license and closed on Monday, July 1, 2016, according to an agreement with MDHHS Executive Director Steve Yager.
A state investigation into 9-year-old Omarion Humphrey's death recommended the license surrender. Investigators found that Alternative Services for Children and Families' license should be revoked because of licensing violations at multiple foster homes, MDHHS Spokesman Bob Wheaton said.
Humphrey was visiting Lake Callis in Davison Township with his foster family on July 4, 2015, when he disappeared. Six days later, following a massive search, his body was found in the lake. He apparently drowned.
Body in lake believed to be missing autistic boy, police said.
DAVISON TWP, MI - A body found today in Lake Callis is believed to be that of missing 9-year-old boy with autism, Omarion Humphrey, police said. Rescue crews have found a child's body in the water in Lake Callis in Davison Township....
Last year, the state verified that the 95 children under Alternative Services for Children and Families were safe and began transferring those cases to other private agencies and to MDHHS foster care workers.
Alternative Services for Children and Families still had about 40 children under its care as of June, but all cases were transferred by July 1, Wheaton said.
"Protecting vulnerable children is our top priority," Yager said. "We kept that in mind in recommending revocation of the license and in handling the closing. We took numerous steps to make sure that all children and foster families received appropriate services during this transition."
Revocation of a foster care agency license is rare and occurs when there are serious licensing violations that make closure necessary to protect children, the state said. Alternatives worked collaboratively with the department in reaching an agreement to surrender its license, according to a statement.
The Flint Journal-MLive.com could not reach a representative for Alternatives for Children and Families for comment.
An August report from the MDHHS initially recommended the license revocation saying Alternatives for Children and Families had placed a child, presumably Omarion, in a foster home that had several previous infractions, many for lack of supervision.
Agency that placed autistic boy who drowned should lose license, state says
The state says the foster agency that placed 9-year-old Omarion Humphrey, the severely autistic boy who went missing and drowned in a Davison Township park, should lose its license.
The special investigation report, carried out in response to Omarion's disappearance and death, didn't identify Omarion's foster home or refer to Omarion by name. It refers to a "Foster Child A" who went missing.
The report also refers to a Foster Parent A who did not receive training on autism. The same Foster Parent A, according to the report, took in a child on the same day court documents show Omarion was removed from his biological home in Oakland County.
Missing autistic boy pulled from home squalor just months ago, court says
Investigators said Omarion was sleeping on the floor in a trash-ridden home without adult supervision, wore dirty clothes that didn't fit and had poor hygiene, the court documents say.
"Per the rule, Foster Parent A should have been provided training that related to Foster Child A's needs," the August report said. "At the very least, Foster Parent A should have been trained on how to handle issues dealing with Foster Child A's communication skills, physical safety and self-care."
In an Oakland County court hearing last July, a representative of Alternatives testified that Omarion's foster mother was licensed to foster special needs children, but did not have formal training for managing children with autism.
The foster mother used Internet research to educate herself on caring for autistic children, the Alternatives representative said.
Omarion and 10 of his siblings were removed from their biological parents' home and placed in foster care in 2015. Investigators said Omarion was sleeping on the floor in a trash-ridden home without adult supervision, wore dirty clothes that didn't fit and had poor hygiene, the court documents say.
A lawsuit that Omarion's estate has filed against Alternatives and foster mother Lulu Richardson is pending in Genesee Circuit Court.
The Orphan Trains of Michigan started in Coldwater, which is now know as the Michigan Children's Institute, but it was transformed from a brick and mortar institution into a theoretical one.
I have written extensively on this, but it has been removed due to copyright violations.
Funny, huh?
Look at these orphan trains like this.
The Emancipation Proclamation was signed.
The next day everyone beared a christian arm over their plantation operations and were able to acquire a larger and much more lucrative population of goods, expanding operations into all aspects of society as child welfare.
This continues today, but just in a much more compassionate form called foster care and adoption.
Did you know 12,500 orphans from New York City and the Boston area were placed in Michigan from 1854 to 1927. The production company spent a year and a half in research and searching for photos of the Orphan Train Riders in Michigan. They have produced a television documentary about this event in Michigan’s history, depicting in great detail the selection process and being an Orphan Train Rider. Over the past 5 years, the Program Source has been offering lectures on the topic. On several occasions, we’ve had actual Orphan Train Riders and their relatives in attendance, to tell us their stories.
The first Orphan Train Riders (14 boys), arrived in Dowagiac, Michigan on a Sunday morning in late September 1854, traveling on the Michigan Central Railroad. By 1927, forty-three Michigan towns would also receive orphans from the “Baby Train”, as it was sometimes called. Most of the children came from the New York Children’s Aid Society and the New England Home for “Little Wanderers”. Thirty nine percent were girls, and most children were never adopted.
motivation for producing “The Orphan Train in Michigan” documentary was first discovered at the Oxford Historical Society while working on that town’s history. The Program Source wants to help relatives of Michigan Orphan Train Riders with information on dates and placement in Michigan. In the Fall of 2004, a reenactment of the first Michigan Orphan Train Riders took place in Dowagiac, Michigan. An entire weekend was planned around the event, with reenacters following in the footsteps of the earlier orphans and walking from the Railroad Depot to the old Methodist Church for placement. A Michigan Orphan Train Registry is in development to document the names, places and any other information regarding these riders. If you know of an Orphan Train Riders or have a relative that may have come to Michigan through the placement program, send us an email to: otim (at) program-source.com . Please include as much information as possible. For more information regarding the Orphan Train, try some of these links:
