The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is expanding the Early Childhood Courts program to Saginaw County. Often referred to as Baby Court, Michigan’s Early Childhood Courts provide services to biological parents so that, whenever possible, they can be the permanent caregivers for their children who have been in foster care.
“Saginaw County Community Mental Health Authority, together with our local partners, is excited to be chosen as one of the expansion sites for the development of an Early Childhood Court at our Family Division of the 10th Circuit Court,” said Sandra Lindsey, Saginaw Community Mental Health Authority CEO. “Ultimately our goal is to reunite families and to support them by ensuring the safety and developmental needs of their young children as the focus of our collective interventions.”
MDHHS received a grant from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to provide funding for three counties to support the implementation of Early Childhood Court Programs. In addition to Saginaw County, services will also expand to St. Clair County. Wayne County, which has had a Baby Court since 2008, became a part of the program in January 2023.
“MDHHS is committed to keeping kids safe while expanding access to behavioral health supports,” said MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel. “Early Childhood Court Programs help us address the needs of parents and their young children, so they can build strong families and stay together.”
Community and health disparities can be a contributing factor to families living in crisis and unstable environments. Michigan’s Early Childhood Courts seek to understand the disparities and needs of families living in poverty and the connection to child welfare removals. Maltreated children are at particular risk for poor outcomes and need coordinated services across systems to support their physical and emotional well-being. Children age 3 and under are over-represented in Michigan’s child welfare system, with 27% as victims of child abuse or neglect when only 14% of Michigan’s population is made up of children in that age group.
The Early Childhood Courts program is for young children, birth to age 3, 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. With individualized services and community resources to meet families’ unique needs, many children are safely reunified with their biological parents or caregivers.
