Category: Parental Rights
-
Can CPS Interview My Child at School in Michigan? What Parents Need to Know
If you’re a parent in Michigan and Child Protective Services (CPS) is involved with your family, you may wonder whether CPS can speak to your child at school without your knowledge or consent. The answer is: it depends. Michigan law allows specific exceptions for when CPS can interview your child at school. When Can CPS…
-
What to Expect During a CPS Home Visit in Michigan
If a report has been made against you to Michigan Child Protective Services (CPS), it’s normal to feel anxious or overwhelmed. A CPS investigation can be incredibly intrusive and emotionally draining, especially when you’re not sure what to expect. When there is a report of child abuse or neglect, Michigan CPS normally begins an investigation…
-
Understanding Your Rights During a CPS Investigation in Michigan
Becoming the subject of a Child Protective Services (CPS) investigation can be very overwhelming for families. Knowing the process of a CPS investigation, what your rights are, and what you should do during an investigation can help ease the stress and could make a substantial difference in the outcome of the investigation. What Does CPS…
-
What Michigan Judges Consider at a Termination of Parental Rights Hearing: A Guide for Families in Lansing and Surrounding Counties
When a termination of parental rights (TPR) hearing takes place in a Michigan court, the judge’s decision can permanently sever the legal rights of a parent to their child. In places like Lansing, and across Mid-Michigan, these hearings are not taken lightly. Judges weigh numerous factors based on the best interests of the child when…
-
What Happens to My Child While I’m in Prison?
Parents who are or may be incarcerated both share a concern about what happens to their child while they are in jail and how their arrest may affect their parental rights. The main concern may be whether the parent’s new criminal record may influence CPS’s ability to take their children. The short answer is no.…
-
Parenting in The Online Age, Where All Your Choices (And Mistakes) Are Made Public! (Pt 1)
There’s an article up on the MI Headlines online newspaper about a horrific beating that a young girl sustained at the hands of her mother. The accompanying video, which has since been removed, shows a mother brutally beating and kicking the young girl, allegedly because the young girl uploaded inappropriate content to Snapchat. Although the…
-
“Faith-based Healing” Parents Defend Their Choices in Court
This case has been controversial from day one. It has brought on all sorts of arguments, from issues of religious freedom, to parenting rights, medical neglect, and child abuse. And what’s interesting is that all sides have made some valid points. But what remains an indisputable fact, regardless of anyone’s perspectives and beliefs, is that…
-
Can Children Participate in CPS Court Hearings That Affect Their Future?
Ask any parent and they’ll tell you – given the choice between cake and ice-cream for dinner, or broccoli and chicken, most kids would choose the less healthy option! Why? Because kids usually go for what feels or sounds good right now, without taking into account how that choice could impact them in the future.…
-
Texas Judge Orders Sanctions Against CPS For Wrongful Removal (Pt 2)
Welcome back and thanks for joining us. We’ve been discussing a case that’s made headlines all over the US in the last few days. It took place in Texas, but is symptomatic of what’s happening all over the country, and particularly here in Michigan – where CPS is tearing families apart with no regard for…
-
Is Free Range Parenting The Answer For Michigan as Well?
In the wake of Utah’s decision to institute a policy protecting free range parents from prosecution, parents around the country are speaking up in favor of free range parenting in their own home states. And Michigan is joining in the fight. In an article entitled Why I’m proud to be not hands on, a free…