• What Happens When a Mandated Reporter Calls CPS to Report Suspected Abuse? (Pt 2)

    Welcome back and thanks for joining us again for this discussion. We’ve been talking about what happens here in Michigan when a mandated reporter (or anyone, for that matter) calls CPS to report suspected child abuse. As we mentioned in the previous article, there are certain criteria the alleged abuse has to meet in order…

  • What Happens When a Mandated Reporter Calls CPS to Report Suspected Abuse? (Pt 1)

    Covid19 has changed a lot of things. For one – there are way fewer calls coming in to CPS from mandated reporters, as there are considerably fewer opportunities for those people to interact with children and notice signs of what they suspect may be abuse or neglect. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t mandated reporters…

  • Experts Say Child Abuse Was Severly Undereported During The Pandemic

    You’ve probably heard this before – certainly if you follow our blog – that certain crimes were very likely underreported during the pandemic. Many experts believe that domestic violence and child abuse and neglect, all crimes whose numbers dropped significantly on paper, were not in fact down, but rather just not being accurately reported during…

  • The Cops Think I Hurt my Child! What Happens Now?

    There are many reasons why the cops would show up at someone’s house and make the assumption a child is at risk of abuse or neglect. Perhaps the neighbors overheard an argument and called them. Or maybe a teacher saw a bruise on your child’s arm and made an assumption. It could even have been…

  • What Happens to my Kids When CPS Takes Them Away?

    There are many instances when CPS gets involved with a family that doesn’t want or need their help. Situations when a family needs resources or assistance, not government oversight and parenting classes. But there’s a big difference between CPs inserting themselves into your family’s private life, and CPS breaking up your family. When children get…

  • Domestic Violence Victims Need to Know Their Rights When CPS Shows up!

    For victims of domestic violence, daily life can be full of fear, uncertainty and pain. They never know when the next attack will come. They walk on eggshells, afraid of being assaulted, afraid to leave, and afraid of what the future holds. But more than anything, they fear for their children. They try to keep…

  • CPS Defense Attorneys Need to be Willing to Fight!

    Obviously, every attorney representing a client and hoping for the best possible outcome in that case needs to fight. It’s what attorneys do. But when it comes to CPS, it’s a different battle ground, and there are different rules. And unfortunately, given the rather depressing history that CPS has with the court – where for…

  • CPS Defense Attorneys Are Here to Help. They’re More Than Just Lawyers

    People’s association with those who are involved, in one capacity or another, with the child welfare system tends to be very single faceted. Roles tend to be either ‘the good guy’ or ‘the bad guy’. Not sure what we mean? Think about it.  CPS workers are the bad guys because they take away your kids.…

  • Why You Should ALWAYS Challenge a Report of ‘Suspected’ Abuse From CPS.

    Here in Michigan, when a mandated reporter, or even just a concerned citizen suspects that a child might be the victim of abuse or neglect, they call CPS and make a report. At that point, a CPS worker reaches out to the family, either by phone or in person (depending on the severity of the…

  • Is Every Foster Care Removal Really an Emergency?

    You’ve read the news. So you’ve heard all the horror stories about children being beaten and burned and sexually assaulted by their caregivers, or worse – their own parents. But just like in every aspect of life, the worst case scenarios always make the news. Because tragedy, and emergency situations, makes great headlines. And misery…