Category: Mandatory Reporting
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Michigan CPS and the Revocation of Parentage Act: Understanding Fathers’ Rights in Child Protective Proceedings
When Child Protective Services (CPS) files a petition in court, complicated questions about paternity often surface. Michigan law recognizes that the man legally identified as a child’s father may not be the biological father, and in child protection cases, this distinction matters. The Revocation of Parentage Act (ROPA) and the Juvenile Code sometimes overlap, creating…
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How Michigan Handles Parenting Time Enforcement in CPS-Related Cases
Michigan law allows parents to actively enforce their parenting time orders, even when CPS has temporary wardship over a child or places the child in foster care. If you are facing this type of issue, you must contact an experienced Michigan CPS defense attorney as soon as possible. A Children’s Protective Services attorney can advise…
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Religious Exemptions and Medical Neglect in Michigan CPS Cases
When Child Protective Services (CPS) gets involved in a case alleging medical neglect, Michigan parents sometimes wonder how their religious beliefs will be treated under the law. MCL 722.634 recognizes that parents have the right to practice their religion, but it also sets clear limits on when that right protects against a finding of neglect.…
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Rights of Noncustodial Parents in Michigan CPS Cases – Involvement, Notice, and Participation
When Child Protective Services (CPS) becomes involved in a family’s life, the focus is often on the custodial parent. Noncustodial parents are often overlooked in CPS investigations and court proceedings. Whether you live in Michigan or anywhere in the state, understanding your rights as a noncustodial parent can be critical to protecting your relationship with…
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How to Terminate a Guardianship of a Minor Child in Michigan
In Michigan, guardianship gives a non-parent legal authority over a minor child. Guardianship of a minor child can be established voluntarily, through a parent’s consent, or involuntarily by court order when a parent is unable to provide proper care. Guardianship is not necessarily permanent, and if you are seeking to end a guardianship, you should…
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The Movement to Quickly Report Child Abuse … Are There Downsides?
Here in Michigan and nationally, there have been increased measures taken to protect children from neglect and abuse. Keeping children safe is of course a priority, but there is one growing consequence of this movement – falsely accused parents. Our team of experienced CPS defense attorneys sees increasing numbers of false accusations of child abuse…
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Michigan’s Newest Mandatory Reporters
There is growing concern right here in Michigan, and nationally, about unreported sexual abuse or neglect, specifically in children. In an effort to protect those victims, Michigan law will now make physical and occupational therapists and athletic trainers mandatory reporters of reasonably suspected child abuse or neglect. Michigan’s Child Protection Law designates certain professionals as…
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Mandated Reporting: The Rising Cost of “Forced” Reports
Mandated reporting has been something of a controversial subject in Michigan, and as the list of mandated reporters seems to get longer every year, the question comes up again and again: should people be forced to report their suspicions, even when they don’t have any evidence to back it up? The law requires that a…
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How the Nassar Case Will Change Michigan’s Child Abuse Reporting Laws (Part 1)
The ripples of the Larry Nassar case can be felt in every corner of the state. New legislation is being introduced, people’s motives are being questioned, jobs are being lost, rules and regulations are changing. The upheaval is enormous. And one of the areas (one of many) that has come under fire since this case…
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Mandatory Reporting: A Teacher’s Nightmare!
A recent news article, while it isn’t an incident that is taking place in Michigan, perfectly illustrated something that could easily happen anywhere in the U.S. A teacher from Columbia County in Georgia has been arrested and accused of failing to report suspected child abuse to the proper authorities. In this particular case the teacher…