Baby court program expanded to Saginaw Co.
By Lauren Piesko and Hannah Mose
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SAGINAW, Michigan (WNEM) — April is Child Abuse Awareness Month, and in Saginaw, those working every day to protect the well-being of young children are happy to welcome a new program to the court systems.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is expanding the Early Childhood Courts program, commonly known as “baby court,” to St. Clair and Saginaw counties.
The program provides services to biological parents going through hardships so they can be permanent caregivers for their children in foster care.
TV5 spoke to Sandra Lindsey with the Saginaw Community Mental Health Authority to find out just what this program means for families in Saginaw County.
“We’re bringing our clinical expertise in young childhood for social and emotional development together with the authorities of the court. And what we really all want for them is for them to engage in different behavior — supportive, nurturing, attached behavior — so they can return home. That’s our goal and we want those kids to be safe and feel very secure,” she said.
Lindsey added there are many factors that contribute to families living in unstable environments.
She broke down what the teachings and interventions within the baby court program look like.
“We work with them on play, we work with them on how they engage and communicate. We’re sort of measuring progress and then coaching improved performance. That’s really what those clinicians do,” she explained.
All community partners TV5 spoke to said they’re very excited about the program coming to Saginaw County.
Once again, the Early Childhood Courts program is designed for young children – from birth to age 3 — and their families.
It comes into play if children are at risk of entering foster care, due to abuse or neglect or are already living in foster care and could be safely reunited with their families.
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