July 18th was quite a milestone for child welfare in Michigan as a new consent decree was finalized in the Federal Court. Now comes the work of its implementation, building on the changes that already have been made over the past several years. During the court hearing, the significant work of the private agency community in meeting the consent decree requirements and providing feedback through the process was acknowledged by Children's Rights lead counsel, Sara Bartosz, Judge Nancy Edmunds and DHS Director Maura Corrigan.

Director Corrigan and members of her leadership team, Children's Rights, the plaintiff in the lawsuit, and the Federal Monitor will make a joint presentation during the Michigan Federation for Children and Families' Senior Management Conference this fall. This Consent Decree session begins at 1PM on Thursday, September 15, and will focus on the specifics of the new decree and discussion about its implementation. Clearly, this is vital information, and you will want to be there in-person to have it first-hand. This session is just one in a full agenda of key information that is critical to child welfare in Michigan, and we look forward to sharing this time with you.