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Cycle of Failure
HOW MICHIGAN KEEPS “THROWING THE FIGHT” FOR CHILDREN –AND HOW TO MAKE THE STATE A CONTENDER AGAIN
National Coalition for Child Protection Reform53 Skyhill Road (Suite 202)Alexandria VA 22314(703) 212-2006info@nccpr.orgwww.nccpr.org
 
 CYCLE OF FAILURE/2
Cycle of Failure
HOW MICHIGAN KEEPS “THROWING THE FIGHT” FOR CHILDREN –AND HOW TO MAKE THE STATE A CONTENDER AGAIN
By Richard Wexler, NCCPR Executive Director February 18, 2009
CONTENTS:
OVERVIEW 5
Michigan’s war against grandparents 8  An X-ray of DHS’ soul 13
WRONGFUL REMOVAL DRIVES EVERYTHING ELSE 17
The coming TANF train wreck 19
Beyond lemonade: case histories 22
You’re only damned if you don’t 23
The data behind the cases 27
Comparison shopping in Grand Rapids 28 
Who is harmed? 34
Michigan ignores the “evidence base” 36 
How taking fewer children can make children safer 37Addicted to
 per-diems
39
When the issue is drugs 40 
MICHIGAN’S CHILD WELFARE HISTORY 41The Binsfeld betrayal 43
Reality check: How the system really works 45 Michigan’s “express lane” to indefinite foster care 52 
Adoption-at-all-costs 54
1995 / 2005 55 
HANGOVER FROM THE BINSFELD BINGE 58The Udow era 58The campaign against Family to Family 59
The Michigan child welfare brain drain 60 
Squandering $100 million a year the Michigan way 64And now, the war against grandparents 65RECOMMENDATIONS 66Help for families 66Due process 69
Leveling the playing field in Washington State 70 
Additional recommendations 74Endnotes 76
 
 CYCLE OF FAILURE/3
This report is dedicated to the memory of the children of Michigan who were taken from their parents in the name of “child safety” only to die in the duly-licensed homes or institutions of strangers, including:Timothy Boss Joshua Causey Johnny Dragomir  Ricky Holland  Isaac Lethbridge Allison Newman
ABOUT NCCPR
The National Coalition for Child Protection Reform is a non-profit organization whose members have encountered thechild protection system in their professional capacities and work to make it better serve America’s most vulnerable children.
Boardof Directors:
 
President:
Martin Guggenheim,
former Director of Clinical and Advocacy Programs, New York University School of Law.
Vice President:
Carolyn Kubitschek 
,
attorney specializing in child welfare law, former Co-coordinator of Family Law, LegalServices for New York City.
Directors:
 
Elizabeth Vorenberg,
(Founding President) former Assistant Commissioner of Public Wel-fare, State of Massachusetts; former Deputy Director, Massachusetts Advocacy Center; former member, National Board of Direc-tors, American Civil Liberties Union;
 Annette Ruth Appell 
, Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, Washington University Law School, St.Louis, former Associate Dean for Clinical Programs, William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada, Las Vegas;
Marty Beyer,Ph.D.,
clinical psychologist and consultant to numerous child welfare reform efforts;
Ira Burnim,
Legal Director, Judge Bazelon Cen-ter for Mental Health Law, Washington, DC; former Legal Director, Children’s Defense Fund; former Staff Attorney, Southern Pover-ty Law Center;
Prof. Paul Chill,
Associate Dean, University of Connecticut School of Law;
Prof. Dorothy Roberts
, Northwestern Uni-versity School of Law, author 
Shattered Bonds: The Color of Child Welfare
(Basic
Civitas
Books: 2002);
Witold “Vic” Walczak 
, Le-gal Director, Greater Pittsburgh Chapter, American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Pennsylvania;
Ruth White
, Executive direc-tor, National Center for Housing and Child Welfare, former Director of Housing and Homelessness, Child Welfare League of Ameri-ca.
Staff:
 
Richard Wexler 
, Executive Director. Author,
Wounded Innocents: The Real Victims of the War Against Child Abuse
.(Prometheus Books: 1990, 1995).
Funding for this publication, and NCCPR’s other advocacy activities in Michigan isprovided by The Skillman Foundation.Created in 1960, The Skillman Foundation is a private philanthropy whose chief aim isto help develop good schools and good neighborhoods for children. Though grants aremade throughout Metropolitan Detroit, most grants are directed at six Detroit neighborhoods – Southwest Detroit (Vernor and Chadsey/Condon), Brightmoor, Osborn, Central and Co-dy/Rouge – and toward innovative and successful schools throughout the city of Detroit.With assets of nearly $600 million, the Foundation gives away approximately $27 million ayear.Other NCCPR activities are funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies, the Open SocietyInstitute and the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
We thank the Foundations for their support, but acknowledge that the views ex-  pressed in this publication are those of NCCPR alone and do not necessarily reflect the opi- nions of our funders.
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