Director Elizabeth Hertel with staff from MDHHS and Orchards Children's Services.
(Photo courtesy of MDHHS)
Yesterday, in honor of Foster Care Month, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Director Elizabeth Hertel toured Orchards Children’s Services and hosted a roundtable discussion to highlight the support and services available for families involved in Michigan’s foster care system, as well as the ongoing need for more foster homes.
“Every child deserves to feel safe and supported. I’m grateful for the dedication of thousands of families across the state who have opened their hearts and homes to help keep kids safe,” Hertel said. “Right now, many children need safe, loving placements, and we need people who are willing to step forward. Becoming a foster parent is one of the most
meaningful ways to support a child and strengthen a community.”
Each year, thousands of youths across Michigan experience foster care, often due to abuse, neglect or other family changes. MDHHS works in partnership with local agencies, courts and community partners to ensure children are placed in safe, nurturing environments while their families receive services aimed at family reunification whenever possible. While in care, children may live with relatives, foster families or in a group setting. When reunification is not an option, efforts are focused on finding permanent homes through adoption or guardianship.
Michigan has approximately 10,000 children in foster care and there is always a need for loving homes and licensed foster families, particularly for teens, sibling groups and youth with special needs.
Orchards Children’s Services Board Chair Darryl Gardner, a former foster youth who currently serves as vice provost for Student Success, Support and Engagement at Wayne State University, also attended the roundtable. MDHHS and Orchards Children’s Services partner together around kinship search and engagement. In Michigan, kinship care is an arrangement where children are raised full-time by a relative or a close family friend when their parents are unable to care for them. Michigan prioritizes kinship care to maintain a child's family connections, cultural identity and community ties, which helps minimize the trauma of separation. The partnership with Orchards Children’s Services helps provide additional assistance in locating kinship connections.
“Foster care is more than a system – it is a critical lifeline for young people navigating some of life’s most uncertain moments,” Gardner said. “As a former foster youth, I can attest to the profound impact that consistent support, compassionate adults and access to meaningful opportunities can have on a young person’s trajectory. The services provided through MDHHS and private agencies like Orchards extend far beyond meeting immediate needs as they lay the foundation for healing, resilience and long-term success. My own journey reflects what is possible when young people are not only cared for, but truly seen, affirmed and invested in. Strengthening foster care services is, at its core, an investment in human potential and the promise of brighter futures.”
Programs and services for children and families involved with foster care:
• Michigan Youth Opportunities Initiative(MYOI) is a partnership with MDHHS, the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, the Oakland Livingston Human Services Agency and many other community partners. MYOI provides opportunities for youth to develop leadership and self-advocacy skills. MYOI's goal is to ensure that young people in foster care have successful outcomes in housing, education, employment, community engagement and health.
• The Transitional Placement Program (TPP)are licensed foster families who provide a temporary home for youth when other placement options might not be able to be readily identified.
• Community Reintegration Homes involves foster families who serve youth who have completed treatment at a residential facility and step back into a community placement. These families receive additional training and supports to allow them to be able to fill this placement gap.
• Foster Care Navigator Programis a state-funded initiative designed to guide both prospective and current foster parents through every stage of the fostering process. The program is unique because all navigators are experienced foster parents providing peer-to-peer support based on first-hand knowledge. They can be reached at 855-MICHKIDS.
For many youth, a foster home can mean the difference between uncertainty and stability – a place where they are supported, encouraged and given an opportunity to heal and grow. To learn more about foster care, please visit Michigan.gov/HopeforaHome.
“Every child deserves to feel safe and supported. I’m grateful for the dedication of thousands of families across the state who have opened their hearts and homes to help keep kids safe,” Hertel said. “Right now, many children need safe, loving placements, and we need people who are willing to step forward. Becoming a foster parent is one of the most
meaningful ways to support a child and strengthen a community.”
Each year, thousands of youths across Michigan experience foster care, often due to abuse, neglect or other family changes. MDHHS works in partnership with local agencies, courts and community partners to ensure children are placed in safe, nurturing environments while their families receive services aimed at family reunification whenever possible. While in care, children may live with relatives, foster families or in a group setting. When reunification is not an option, efforts are focused on finding permanent homes through adoption or guardianship.
Michigan has approximately 10,000 children in foster care and there is always a need for loving homes and licensed foster families, particularly for teens, sibling groups and youth with special needs.
Orchards Children’s Services Board Chair Darryl Gardner, a former foster youth who currently serves as vice provost for Student Success, Support and Engagement at Wayne State University, also attended the roundtable. MDHHS and Orchards Children’s Services partner together around kinship search and engagement. In Michigan, kinship care is an arrangement where children are raised full-time by a relative or a close family friend when their parents are unable to care for them. Michigan prioritizes kinship care to maintain a child's family connections, cultural identity and community ties, which helps minimize the trauma of separation. The partnership with Orchards Children’s Services helps provide additional assistance in locating kinship connections.
“Foster care is more than a system – it is a critical lifeline for young people navigating some of life’s most uncertain moments,” Gardner said. “As a former foster youth, I can attest to the profound impact that consistent support, compassionate adults and access to meaningful opportunities can have on a young person’s trajectory. The services provided through MDHHS and private agencies like Orchards extend far beyond meeting immediate needs as they lay the foundation for healing, resilience and long-term success. My own journey reflects what is possible when young people are not only cared for, but truly seen, affirmed and invested in. Strengthening foster care services is, at its core, an investment in human potential and the promise of brighter futures.”
Programs and services for children and families involved with foster care:
• Michigan Youth Opportunities Initiative(MYOI) is a partnership with MDHHS, the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, the Oakland Livingston Human Services Agency and many other community partners. MYOI provides opportunities for youth to develop leadership and self-advocacy skills. MYOI's goal is to ensure that young people in foster care have successful outcomes in housing, education, employment, community engagement and health.
• The Transitional Placement Program (TPP)are licensed foster families who provide a temporary home for youth when other placement options might not be able to be readily identified.
• Community Reintegration Homes involves foster families who serve youth who have completed treatment at a residential facility and step back into a community placement. These families receive additional training and supports to allow them to be able to fill this placement gap.
• Foster Care Navigator Programis a state-funded initiative designed to guide both prospective and current foster parents through every stage of the fostering process. The program is unique because all navigators are experienced foster parents providing peer-to-peer support based on first-hand knowledge. They can be reached at 855-MICHKIDS.
For many youth, a foster home can mean the difference between uncertainty and stability – a place where they are supported, encouraged and given an opportunity to heal and grow. To learn more about foster care, please visit Michigan.gov/HopeforaHome.
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