Task force will partner with families, experts to improve system

State Rep. Phil Green, of Millington, has been appointed to serve on the newly created House Adoption and Foster Care Task Force.

The bipartisan task force will conduct comprehensive research and provide specific recommendations for legislative, administrative and judicial reform to bolster Michigan’s adoption efforts and foster care structure.

Green said he is honored to be selected to serve on the task force comprised of both Republican and Democrat lawmakers.

“The number of children without loving homes in Michigan is heartbreaking,” Green said. “Each and every one of them deserve warm and caring families who can ensure they have a happy life and a bright future. The system can only improve if we listen to experts, families and children who have experienced flaws in Michigan’s adoption and foster care process firsthand. I look forward to working together with these individuals and my fellow legislators to make necessary and overdue improvements to the system.”

There are nearly 12,000 children in Michigan’s adoption and foster care system. According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, roughly 3,000 foster children are waiting for adoption at any given time. Green said the task force will identify practices that will help more children find their forever homes.