http://ipraudio.interlochen.org/Medicaid_WEB_0.mp3
By Bob Allen
State officials are finding more victims of abuse and neglect in Michigan. That's according to a new Kids Count report.
It looked at more than a dozen indicators of child well-being from 2005 to 2011.
Big Increase in Abuse and Neglect Cases
Jane Zehnder Merrell oversees Kids Count for the Michigan League for Public Policy. She says there's a close tie between the increase in neglect and more young families struggling with poverty.
"Despite the talk of economic recovery there was not one county that experienced an improvement in economic security for kids," says Zehnder-Merrell.
But state officials say the period covered by the report coincides with some of the toughest economic times in recent history. And the Department of Human Services says there also were more strict requirements for reporting suspected abuse and neglect.
Spokesman Dave Akerly says most of the cases reported, more than 80%, were of the lowest risk to the child. "So while it does show up and that was the vast majority of the rise it is at the very lowest end of a confirmed case."
That means no court got involved and the child was not removed from the home. It also means the department doesn't think the child is at risk for continued neglect.
But the Michigan League for Public Policy says even in minor cases there's some damage done to the child. And the fact that there were so many of these neglect cases is a strong indication that they're linked to rising poverty.
Sharp Increase in Grand Traverse Area
A six county Grand Traverse area showed both a sharp increase in children in poverty and a 66% rise in confirmed victims of abuse and neglect.
Mary Manner coordinates the Great Start program in the Traverse Bay area. It tries to get better information especially to young parents about child rearing. Most of what she sees in neglect is families struggling to provide basic food, shelter and care for their children.
"And frankly when people are struggling economically they're working long hours, parents are tired. They're not talking with their kids. They're not doing the kinds of things that we associate with nurturing a young child," Manner says.
She's careful to point out that most families in poverty do not abuse or neglect their children.
Some of the stresses Manner sees in the Grand Traverse area are high costs and low wages. She says a family earning near minimum wage can spend as much as 40% of their income on childcare.
"So assuming you're spending 30% for housing which we know in this region is typically higher than that, 70% of your income is already gone," Manner says.
She would like to see publicly funded child rearing classes to help working families.
Some Improvements
The Kids Count report calls for cuts to the earned income tax credit to be restored and for an extension to unemployment benefits.
The Department of Human Services doesn't have anything to do with setting those policies. And spokesman Dave Akerly sees better efforts already underway to help.
"Do we think we're starting to turn the corner somewhat? We do. We think changes have been made both with our staffing, with lowering case loads, with centralized intake to allow us to do a better job," Akerly says.
The Kids Count report also shows some positives for Michigan. There were drops in the infant mortality rate and the number of kids in foster care. And there were more 4th graders scoring high in reading. In fact, Grand Traverse County was first in that category statewide.
But Jane Zehnder Merrell of the Michigan League for Public Policy is not convinced there's a rosier picture just around the corner. "And although wage rates are going down, housing prices are going up. And we're looking at increases in gas tax of some kind so things are not improving economically for families in this state," she says.