MDHHS presented innovative CSA teaming model at Child Welfare League of America national conference

MDHHS is rebuilding how Michigan’s child welfare system works together to support and strengthen families

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) was invited to present on its innovative Children’s Service’s Administration (CSA) teaming model at the Child Welfare League of America’s 2026 national conference in Washington D.C. on April 21, 2026.

The presentation, titled “There’s No “I” In Team: A New Staffing Blueprint to Rebuild Michigan’s Child Welfare System,” gave an overview of the MDHHS CSA teaming model - a bold redesign of Michigan’s child welfare workforce and case management that centers both families and the frontline staff who support them.

“The CSA teaming model is an innovative step forward in how we serve Michigan children and families, and I’m proud Michigan was selected to share our early successes with other states during the conference,” said Elizabeth Hertel, MDHHS director. “This groundbreaking approach strengthens collaboration, improves outcomes for families, cultivates employee relationships and helps make Michigan the best place to have kids and raise a family.”

For its 2026 national conference, the Child Welfare League of America called on advocates, practitioners, policymakers, researchers and community leaders to address topics that help move child welfare forward and showcase best practices in the industry.

Launched in March 2025, the CSA teaming model is a team-based approach to child welfare case management that gives employees clear and distinct roles and encourages collaboration, providing comprehensive support to families from their first point of contact with the child welfare system. The core team, called a pod, includes investigators, case managers, supervisors, family resource specialists and family team specialists who work alongside other specialized CSA roles to seamlessly address a family’s specific needs as a team, whether economic, educational or administrative.

The teaming model eliminates delays and improves the employee experience. It replaces the previous model in which a single caseworker handled all aspects of serving a family.

Three key objectives of the CSA teaming model are:

Reduce worker burden: By sharing tasks among a pod, the teaming model aims to eliminate administrative delays and reduce staff turnover by transitioning from a single caseworker system to a collaborative structure. The teaming model shifts to shared decision making, providing team support when it comes to making life-changing decisions for families.

Differentiating poverty from neglect: Material hardships – such as lack of housing, food insecurity or inadequate childcare – can be mistaken for child abuse or neglect.  By identifying and addressing immediate economic issues families are facing, the teaming model helps prevent crises where poverty might otherwise be misconstrued as abuse or neglect.

Aligning with the Keep Kids Safe Action Agenda: Through the department’s Keep Kids Safe Action Agenda, which includes dozens of protocols and policies to improve the safety and well-being of Michigan children, MDHHS follows best practices in child welfare and commits to following the nation’s highest standards. The action agenda focuses on five key categories: prevention, intervention, stability, wellness and workforce to ensure the best possible support for children and families.

MDHHS is rolling out the teaming model in phases or cohorts. The first cohort of MDHHS county offices to implement the new model began in May 2025 and included Allegan and Barry, Macomb, Sanilac and St. Clair, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska and Leelanau counties. The second cohort launched in September 2025 and included Emmet, Charlevoix and Antrim, Roscommon and Ogemaw, Clinton and Eaton, Ingham, Isabella and Clare, Saginaw, Muskegon, Jackson, Lenawee and Monroe, Livingston, Genesee, Oakland and Wayne (partial) counties. A statewide rollout is planned for later in the summer of 2026.