Legislation and Policy Advocacy
Our Approach
Asone of Michigan’s leading advocates for youth with experience in foster care, we collaborate with policymakers and stakeholders to develop strategies addressing gaps and inefficiencies in the foster care system. This includes making recommendations on proposed legislation, providing testimony to congressional committees, and sponsoring legislation. The goal is to build a new foster care system that recognizes and responds to the unique challenges faced by youth in and aging out of foster care
Our focus is on issues affecting Michigan's foster care system, from housing and homelessness to kinship connections, family preservation, and educational opportunities. We work to ensure the system provides appropriate support services so that youth in and aging out of foster care can transition to adulthood with purpose and hope for a brighter future.
Our Impact
In 2022, we worked with legislators, providing feedback on proposed legislation and recommendations for improvements to the foster care system. Our recommendations were included in the Michigan House and Adoption Task Force final report.
Read the
report!
In addition, our team played a pivotal role in getting eleven important bills passed that turned many of the recommendations from the final report into law. These new laws strengthened protections for people affected by the foster care system and made it easier for those who want to become foster parents, particularly family members and close friends who step in to care for children (kinship caregivers).
Highlights from the Bill Package
HB 5974:
This bill improves the juvenile code to expand the definition of relative to include “Fictive Kin” or those with a strong positive emotional tie or role in the child’s life. This expansion has led to increased stability for children in foster care, as they are more likely to be placed with caregivers who understand their unique needs and histories. Furthermore, it has reduced the trauma often associated with entering foster care by preserving cultural and community ties and allowing children to remain connected to their established support networks.
HB 5975:
This bill requires trauma-informed training for lawyers appointed to act on behalf of a child in court. This type of training equips these lawyers with the knowledge and skills to understand the complex effects of trauma on a child's behavior, development, and communication. This understanding enables them to interact with their young clients in a more empathetic and supportive manner and to advocate for support services and interventions that address the child's specific needs.
HB 4676:
This bill improves the Foster Care and Adoption Services Act. It requires the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), in collaboration with the Department of Education and the Center for Educational Performance and Information, to submit an annual report that details rules that show what students need to learn in school that help make sure children in foster care learn what they need to, just like other kids. The report will be sent to specific legislative committees and financial agencies. This legislation helps us see and manage how well kids in foster care are doing in school, ensuring that policymakers and stakeholders are equipped with essential data to guide decisions that affect this vulnerable population.
HB 4677:
As a companion bill to HB 4676, this legislation improves the Foster Care and Adoption Services Act to instruct that children in foster care are enrolled in school within five days of placement, unless something unusual happens. The bill stresses keeping the child’s education consistent by preferring placement in the same school whenever possible. Additionally, it prioritizes joining the education of foster youth with Michigan merit curriculum content standards, smoothing the way for graduation, and ensuring that foster youth have access to their educational records just like other students.
HB 5976:
Requires annual report by the Department of Health and Human Services to submit to legislature.
HB 5980:
Provides extended licensing for certain foster homes.
HB 6073:
Revises definition of relative in the childcare organizations. The bill will expand the legal definition of relative in Michigan to include fictive kin.
HB 5977:
Requires the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to conduct an annual needs assessment regarding the utilization of residential treatment and the needs of youth who are referred for clinical interventions.
HB 5981:
Increases capacity for foster youth in state licensed residential facilities.
HB 6074:
Revises definition of relative in the probate code of 1939.
HB 5978:
Requires MDHHS to use family finding and engagement company to help connect foster children to family members and friends.
HB 6070:
Creates a framework for tax incentives for employers to offer up to 12 weeks of paid leave to employees who have adopted a child (pending appropriation).
HB 6075:
Revises definition of relative in the guardianship assistance act.