KALAMAZOO (WKZO-AM) — A new way to tackle the problem of child abuse is getting a test run in Kalamazoo and two other counties and halfway through the five year trial, they’re happy with the numbers.
The “Protect MI Family” program reduced the number of child removals by half, 90 percent of the families in the program report satisfaction with the services they are getting and 30 percent of the children in the program show improvement in the emotional and social development.
The focus is on keeping children with their parents and out of foster care by fixing their families. That means teaching life skills, child rearing and, in some cases, removing the abusive parent.
Program Director Rachel Sykes said current practice is a 90-day course that focuses on the abusive behaviors and making the child safe.
The program lasts 15 months and goes much deeper into roots of what made the family dysfunctional and led to the abuse.
Program graduate Alyssa Lovely said she was trapped in a cycle of abuse before they were selected for help. She has since divorced her abusive ex-husband, her son has started kindergarten and she has just gotten a promotion at work. She said the program has helped her turn her life around and create a much better life for her son.
The goal is to get better results without increasing the cost. If it works here and in Macomb and Muskegon counties, where it is also being tried out, the plan is to introduce it statewide.
