CPS workers are notorious for NOT giving people the full picture. When they show up at your home with a cop in tow, claiming you have to hand over your children, what they’re not telling you is that the cop is there to protect THEM in case you get angry and violent. But they’d much rather you keep on believing the officer is there to slap the cuffs on you for non-compliance when you refuse to allow a random government worker to walk off with your kids when they don’t even have a court order!
Same thing when they show up at your house and tell you they’re there to talk to you. They may imply that the perfectly reasonable thing to do would be to let them in for a friendly chat. Or tell you that you’d much rather have this conversation inside, away from the prying ears and eyes of your neighbors (implying that you have something to be ashamed of!). But what they don’t tell you – and they hope you don’t know – is that you don’t have to let them in without a court order signed by a judge. Heck, you don’t even have to talk to them at all!
CPS workers are very good at lying by omission!
CPS workers know they don’t have as much power as they like to pretend, but they hope you don’t know it too. Which is why, in many cases, the CPS worker assigned to your case won’t tell you that you have a right to see the case file that pertains to you. In fact, under Michigan law, if you are the parent or legal guardian of a child involved in a CPS investigation, or you’re being investigated yourself by CPS, you have a right to the information in that case file.
However, it’s important to remember that just because you are allowed to access the file, doesn’t mean you have access to every single piece of information in it. Why? Because some things are considered to be confidential. For example, if you’re the person being investigated, then you will not have access to the name of the person who reported you to CPS. If you’re the parent of the child involved, you will likely not be given access to the mental health and criminal history information of the person being investigated.
So how do you go about getting the info from CPS?
In theory, this is the easy part. If you are one of the people who is allowed to have access to the file, them all you need is a copy of your driver’s license (front and back), or other personal identification card, and a written request for the records. These you present to your local Department of Health & Human Services office (there’s one in every county in Michigan). However, there have been many instances where CPS “delays” handing over the records, “loses” a request for a file, or claims they never received a request at all!
This is where a good CPS defense attorney comes in. At The Kronzek Firm, we’ve spent years dealing with all the nonsense and mind games that CPS workers like to play. Their bullying tactics, lies, dishonest practices, and refusals to comply with the law they claim to be following is legendary. But we don’t put up with that crap. We know exactly what to do and say to ensure that your rights are protected. So if a CPS worker has accused you of harming a child, or is trying to make you comply with their rules and demands, call our skilled and experienced CPS defense attorneys immediately at 866 766 5245 and get help from the Michigan CPS defense experts.