Projects

Learn how the Child and Adolescent Data Lab is building strong and long-lasting partnerships with State agencies to bring about sustainable social change.

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Central Registry Reviews for Expungement

The Michigan Central Registry tracked adults with substantiated child maltreatment allegations and was used by CPS for investigations, foster care screenings, and child-related employment checks. The Child…
View Central Registry Reviews for Expungement
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Equity and Education

The Child and Adolescent Data Lab represents a unique opportunity to address complex social problems, while at the same time evaluating policy and practice efforts with data…
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Evaluation of Kent Performance Based Funding Pilot

The Kent Model was a performance-based child welfare funding pilot implemented in Kent County to improve outcomes for children through more flexible and efficient services. The Child…
View Evaluation of Kent Performance Based Funding Pilot
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Expanding Evidence on Recovery & Reunification Interventions for Families (R3)

The child welfare system has seen more removals linked to parental substance use disorders, worsened by the opioid crisis and limited access to treatment. To address this,…
View Expanding Evidence on Recovery & Reunification Interventions for Families (R3)
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Maltreatment in Foster Care

Maltreatment in care—though rare—is a critical measure of child safety, as even one instance can have serious consequences for vulnerable children. This project uses administrative and unstructured…
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Michigan Court Dashboard Project

The Data Lab is partnering with Michigan’s Court Improvement Program to develop a public-facing dashboard that visualizes key trends in the child welfare system. By integrating multiple…
View Michigan Court Dashboard Project
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Racial Disparities in Child Welfare

The Data Lab is partnering with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to investigate and address racial disparities in the child welfare system, where Black…
View Racial Disparities in Child Welfare
Rx Kids: A prescription for health, hope, and opportunity

Rx Kids

Rx Kids is the first-ever citywide cash prescription program for pregnant moms and babies. Rx Kids provides all pregnant moms in the city of Flint with no-strings-attached…
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THC Exposure at Birth and Subsequent Risk of Maltreatment project thumbnail

THC Exposure at Birth and Subsequent Risk of Maltreatment

The Data Lab and Michigan Medicine are examining whether racial disparities exist in the decision to drug test newborns and whether THC exposure at birth is…
View THC Exposure at Birth and Subsequent Risk of Maltreatment
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Washtenaw Juvenile Justice Project – Exploration of Disparities

The Data Lab analyzes multi-agency data from Washtenaw County to uncover patterns and disparities in the juvenile justice system. By examining referral sources and outcomes by race…
View Washtenaw Juvenile Justice Project – Exploration of Disparities
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Visualizations

The Child and Adolescent Data Lab packages and visualizes data to make it more interactive and easier to understand for wider audiences to help inform decision-making.

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Publications

View recent research published by Child and Adolescent Data Lab staff and faculty affiliates, developed to advance knowledge and inform policy.

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Student Opportunities

The Child and Adolescent Lab provides training opportunities for graduate students from a variety of backgrounds in how to use data to effectively guide policy and practice decisions.