On Tuesday, the House Oversight Subcommittee on Child Welfare heard testimony from multiple mothers of children who suffered harm directly due to failures by Children’s Protective Services (CPS). Among the testifiers was Brandi Morey-Pols, the mother of 6-year-old Rowan Morey who was murdered by his father after her concerns were ignored by CPS. State Rep. Luke Meerman (R-Coopersville), who presided over the committee meeting, stressed the need for more accountability within CPS over recurring tragedies like Rowan’s.

“We have a broken system in CPS, and I’m disgusted by the cover-up the department’s leaders try to spin when we demand answers,” Meerman said. “We received absolutely gut-wrenching testimony in committee, and I commend and applaud the bravery and strength of the women who joined us.”

The committee also heard from Molly Dixon, a resident of Meerman’s district who was unable to secure residential treatment for her adopted son’s severe behavioral challenges due to the lack of placement opportunities in the state. Dixon shared her story, explaining that to secure treatment for her son, she had to send him out of state. In her pursuit of care for her son, Dixon was advised by the state to terminate her parental rights after being denied additional help.

            “Last month, this body received testimony from CPS Director Demetrius Starling along with auditors from the Office of the Auditor General,” Meerman said. “We rely on nonpartisan auditors to verify the performance of our department, and we had, in my committee room, the CPS Director admonishing the integrity of this important work. It was a weak display and weak effort to dodge accountability. One of the central issues the auditors uncovered was that background checks were not being complete as required, which the CPS Director vehemently denied. Yet, during committee, we heard from a foster care advocate who reaffirmed the findings in the audit, that background checks are not being complete. Bullish tactics and aggression are evidently the tools that the department’s leadership know best how to use.

“They told us that CPS was making tremendous progress – that’s clearly false. There are recurring incidents of failed background checks and reports of abuse and neglect falling by the wayside. The whole system is a sham, and I’m unconvinced the department’s leadership is capable of achieving the reforms needed.”