DETROIT (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's administration has inherited a troubled child-welfare system that has failed to protect foster kids from abuse and operates with a faulty computer network that might need to be scrapped after just five years.
Federal Judge Nancy Edmunds says those latest reports from experts are "pretty depressing to say the least." She held another hearing Wednesday to get an update on how Michigan cares for children who are removed from homes because of abuse or neglect.
The case began 13 years ago — when Jennifer Granholm was governor. The child-welfare system has made progress in certain areas but remains under court oversight.
Robert Gordon, the new director of the Department of Health and Human Services, says the latest reports "are not acceptable." He hopes 2019 "can be a turning point."
