Denied Kinship Custody, Couple is Asked by Michigan DHS to Take in Friend’s Child

Welcome to the Bizarro-World of US foster care. If this couple had been given custody of one of their grandsons, he would be alive today. Instead, the living grandson is with strangers and a friend’s child was temporarily with them.

“A couple from Livingston County says the Department of Human Services hasn’t allowed them custody of their grandson, but has asked them to watch someone else’s children.

The front porch of Martin and Julie Baker’s Livingston County home displays their pain. There are 24 ribbons for their grandson Tyler Baker.

“It just represents each month that he is not here,” explains Martin Baker.

The most faded ribbon is dated April 2010. That is when CPS took Tyler into custody after the now ten- year-old witnessed the beatings that killed his little brother 4-year-old Dominick Calhoun at his mom’s Argentine Township Apartment.

The boys’ mom’s boyfriend Brandon Hayes is in prison serving a life sentence for murdering little Dominick.

Their mom Corrine Baker is in prison serving a 2nd degree murder sentence for not doing enough save her little boy.

Martin and Julie Baker say before Dominick was killed they asked a judge to give them custody of the boys because Corrine Baker struggled with drug addiction. The judge decided to give custody to Corrine.

They say after Dominick died they asked for custody of Tyler and were told no.

“They whisked him away and never told us why,” said Martin.

The Bakers say they were stunned when on April 12th, the anniversary of little Dominick’s death, they learned CPS was investigating how a family friend’s little boy was burned on his hands.

The CPS worker told the Bakers they were in the system as an approved foster care home, and asked them to take in the family friend’s children.

“Of course we said yes. If this is where they need to be then of course,” said Julie Baker.

After a 5 day investigation, CPS found the burns happened after an accident, but the kids had so much fun at the Bakers playing, coloring and blowing bubbles – that the Bakers have been hired to babysit.

“It has been a blast. It is fun to have kids in the house again,”said Julie.

But the Bakers especially want a certain child in their house again.

“I’m approved to take care of somebody else’s children, why can’t they put Tyler with us. I am already approved,” said Martin.

“We want Tyler here,” said Julie.

WXYZ contacted the Department of Human Services. A spokesperson says privacy issues make it difficult to comment on individual cases. He said it should be noted that different things are taken into consideration when it comes to short term emergency foster care placements and long term placements.

We want to know what you think. Vote in the poll to your left to let us know. ” [currently 88% of those polled feel that grandparents should given priority in foster care custody]

Couple denied custody of own grandson in foster care, asked to foster someone else’s children
[WXYZ 4/20/12 by Kim Russell]

REFORM Puzzle Piece