We all agree that the child welfare system in Michigan is overburdened. Case workers often have too many and too complex cases for any one person to handle. The system works overtime to try to keep kids from falling through the cracks, yet there is no room for the individual attention and advocacy that a child in crisis needs.

Manuel was just 3 years old when he was abandoned by his mother and placed in a foster home. Manuel showed signs of severe neglect and physical abuse: he had scars on his body, was not toilet trained, and his speech was extremely limited.