STATE OF MICHIGAN

DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES

BUREAU OF CHILDREN AND ADULT LICENSING
JENNIFER M. GRANHOLM ISMAEL AHMED
GOVERNOR DIRECTOR

March 30, 2009

William Blacquiere
Bethany Christian Services Inc
901 Eastern Avenue, NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49501-0294

RE: License #: CB410200976

Investigation #: 2009C0110036
Bethany Christian Services Inc

Dear Mr. Blacquiere:

Attached is the Special Investigation Report for the above referenced facility. Due to
the violation identified in the report, a written corrective action plan was required. On
03/30/2009 Chris May submitted an acceptable written corrective action plan. No further
action is required.

Please review the enclosed documentation for accuracy and feel free to contact me with
any questions or if you desire technical assistance in addressing these issues. In the
event that I am not available and you need to speak to someone immediately, please
feel free to contact Deborah Clark, Area Manager, at (906) 228-2852.

Sincerely,

Steve Ragsdale, Licensing Consultant

Bureau of Children and Adult Licensing
Unit 13, 7th Floor
350 Ottawa, N.W.
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
(616) 356-0127

P.O. BOX 30650 • LANSING, MICHIGAN 48909-8150

www.michigan.gov • (517) 335-6124
 MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES
BUREAU OF CHILDREN AND ADULT LICENSING
SPECIAL INVESTIGATION REPORT

I. IDENTIFYING INFORMATION

License #: CB410200976

Investigation #: 2009C0110036

Complaint Receipt Date: 03/24/2009

Investigation Initiation Date: 03/26/2009

Report Due Date: 05/23/2009

Licensee Name: Bethany Christian Services Inc

Licensee Address: 901 Eastern Av NE

Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Licensee Telephone #: (616) 224-7610

Administrator: William Blacquiere, Administrator

William Blacquiere, Designee

Licensee Designee: William Blacquiere, Designee

Name of Facility: Bethany Christian Services Inc

Facility Address: 901 Eastern Avenue, NE

Grand Rapids, MI 49501-0294

Facility Telephone #: (616) 459-6273

Original Issuance Date: 10/01/1994

License Status: REGULAR

Effective Date: 09/29/2008

Expiration Date: 09/28/2010

Capacity: Unknown

Program Type: CHILD PLACING AGENCY, PRIVATE

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 II. ALLEGATION

A grand parent repeatedly asked that her four grandchildren be placed with her after
they were removed from their parents twenty months ago. The Bethany Christian
Services caseworker did not facilitate her desire to become a foster parent. Now that
parental rights are terminated, the agency is not considering her for adoption.

III. METHODOLOGY

03/24/2009 Special Investigation Intake - 2009C0110036

03/26/2009 Special Investigation Initiated – Telephone interview of

Grandmother 1
On Site. Interviewed FC Caseworker 1, FC Supervisor 1,
Licensing Worker 1, Licensing Supervisor 1, Program Director 1, &
Adoption Worker 1. File and document Review

ALLEGATION:

A grand parent repeatedly asked that her four grandchildren be placed with her after
they were removed from their parents. Bethany Christian Services [BCS] Caseworkers
did not facilitate her desire to become a foster parent.

INVESTIGATION:

Bethany Christian Services [BCS] case notes related to the removal of the four children
reflect that BCS staff were told by an employee of the Department of Human Services
[DHS] that the children should not be placed with Grandmother 1 because of the
presence of her son [the father of the four children] in her home and suspicions that
Grandmother 1 was not accurately reporting whether her son was taking his
psychotropic medications. The four children were then placed in foster care a day after
their removal from their parents [7/30/2007]. A subsequent written transfer summary of
emergency DHS services provided to the children at the time of their removal from their
parents, did not record the reasons for not placing the children with Grandmother 1.

Grandmother 1 stated that she repeatedly asked DHS Worker 1, BCS Supervisor 1
[then a BCS foster care worker], BCS Foster Care Worker 1, and more recently - BCS
Adoption Worker 1, for her four grandchildren to be placed in her home through foster
care or adoption. No employee of BCS considered her requests or acted on them.
Grandmother 1 stated that she has adopted four children in the past, including the
father of the four current children. Grandmother 1 stated that she recalled telling DHS
worker 1 that to the extent she knew, her son was taking his psychotropic medications.
As he was an adult, married, and living with his wife; she had no control of his
medications and would only ask for confirmation when his behaviors appeared
abnormal. Grandmother 1 only recounted what her son told her. Grandmother 1 also
recalled her son being at her home when DHS Worker 1 visited. He had just been
released from a psychiatric hospital, could not return to his wife’s home, and visited with
her for two days until he eventually moved to Ann Arbor. Grandmother 1 stated that

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because of the nature of her son’s issues and illness, he could not reside with her and
would never be allowed unsupervised time with children. She did not believe that his
issues affected her ability to foster or adopt her four grandchildren.

BCS Supervisor 1 stated that at the time of the four children’s removal, DHS Worker 1
did a short assessment of Grandmother 1 for placement of the children and determined
that it would not be appropriate for placement of the children. Although the information
was not contained in DHS Worker 1’s transfer summary, she did not assess or in any
other way act on Grand-mother 1’s requests for custody because of information told to
her by DHS Worker 1.

BCS Foster Care Worker 1 stated that she met with Grandmother 1 and then completed
a relative licensing request and submitted it to the BCS Foster Home Licensing
Department on 10/20/2008. She believed that by the time of this investigation
Grandmother 1 would have been licensed as a foster parent unless she did not follow
through with licensing tasks of if facts had determined that she was not licensable. BCS
Foster Care Worker 1 had never been told of Grandmother 1’s application status.

BCS Licensing Supervisor 1 and BCS Licensing Worker 1 reviewed their records of
Relative Licensing Referrals and found BCS Foster Care Worker 1’s referral of
Grandmother 1 for foster care licensing. BCS Licensing Worker 1 stated that she did not
act on the referral because she already had a referral of Grandmother 2 and
Grandfather 2, who were then going through the steps to be licensed as relative foster
parents to the four children.

APPLICABLE RULE
R 400.12404 Placement.
(3) An agency shall consider all of the following factors in
selecting an appropriate placement for a child:
(d) Placement of the child with relatives.

ANALYSIS: Instead of relying on DHS Worker 1’s one day cursory

consideration of Grandmother 1, BCS Supervisor 1 should have
facilitated a full evaluation of Grandmother 1 home for the
placement of her four grandchildren. Nearly a year later, when
BCS Foster Care Worker 1 referred Grandmother 1 to the BCS
foster care licensing department, Licenser 1 should have
immediately acted on the referral.

CONCLUSION: VIOLATION ESTABLISHED

ALLEGATION:

Now that parental rights are terminated, the agency is not considering the grandmother
for adoption of her four children.

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 INVESTIGATION:

A review of the adoption file of the four children determined that parental rights had
recently been terminated and that a letter and adoption application from BCS Adoption
Worker 1 had been mailed to Grandmother 1 at about the time that this complaint was
filed.

Grandmother 1 confirmed that she has received the adoption packet , that she has
talked with Bethany Adoption Staff, and that she is now working on completing the
application packet and fulfilling the requirements to be considered for adoption.

APPLICABLE RULE
R 400.12604 Orientation.
A social service worker shall provide an orientation for
prospective applicants for adoption before an adoptive
evaluation is conducted.

ANALYSIS: Bethany Adoption Staff acted promptly to consider Grandmother

1’s request to adopt.

CONCLUSION: VIOLATION NOT ESTABLISHED

IV. RECOMMENDATION

As an acceptable corrective action plan has been received, it is recommended that no

further action be required and that no change be made to the license of this child caring
institution.

03/30/2009

Steve Ragsdale Date

Licensing Consultant

Approved By:

03/31/09

Deborah Clark Date

Area Manager