What’s in Store for Kinship Care in Michigan?

Speaking for Kids Host Matt Gillard from Michigan’s Children
explores an


important family issue that’s thankfully gaining greater
attention at the Capitol


lately. With 54,000 children living in kinship care families in
Michigan, Matt


discusses the issue of formal and informal kinship care
arrangements with two


top advocates, David Berns and Erin Peets. Both serve as members
of the


Michigan Kinship Care Coalition and the Kinship Advisory Council
of the Michigan


Department of Health and Human Services. David Berns, now retired
was most


recently the Director of the Department of Human Services for the
District of


Columbia. He was also the Director of the Office of Children’s
Services for the


Michigan Department of Health and Human Services agency. There,


was that he realized that kinship care is often the best way to
keep children


safe without placing them in foster care. Erin Peets, a lawyer,
is the grant


manager at the Elder Law & Advocacy Center, which offers free
legal services,


education, and assistance to older adults and caregivers
throughout Wayne


County.