Tag: Child Abuse Defense Lawyer
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Michigan CPS Removal of a Child and What to Do
In Michigan, Child Protective Services (CPS) is not supposed to remove a child from their home unless an investigation reveals exigent circumstances or an immediate risk of abuse or neglect. To have exigent circumstances, CPS would need to believe that abuse or neglect is occurring based on the information they have and that the child…
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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…
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Does The Child Abuse Registry Need to be Reformed?
As part of their pre-election platform, the Biden administration promised that their sweeping reforms would be carefully crafted to address current racial and social justice issues. With that in mind, several family advocates are calling for US Child Welfare policies to be reformed. Specifically, the Child Abuse Registry. (Here in Michigan we call our state…
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Should Abused Children be Held Responsible For Their Actions When They Harm Others? (Pt 1)
Anyone who has ever parented a child knows that it can be stressful. Kids, especially when they struggle with behavioral and emotional issues, or with mental health conditions, can test the limits of your patience in ways that nothing else on earth does. After all, they’re kids. Which means they haven’t yet learned to curb…
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CPS And Your Narcissistic Spouse: Should You be Worried About False Claims of Abuse?
Being married to a narcissist is a scary reality for a surprising number of people. The gaslighting, the lies, the manipulation. It can be a terrifying situation, and many people feel trapped in those relationships. And what makes it even worse is that so few other people can see what you see. Narcissists are usually…
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Child Abuse Calls to CPS Have Increased Significantly During Quarantine!
A great many places around Michigan, and the grester US, have seen significant reductions in crime during the quarantine. Murder, sexual assault and burglary numbers have dropped well below the average for this time of year, and that’s great. But when you trap families together in their homes with very little relief and no fixed…
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A New House Bill Could Reform Michigan Child Welfare Laws
House Bill 4706, which was introduced by House Rep Matt Hall, would make small but significant changes to how child abuse allegations are handled right after the first report is made to CPS here in Michigan. Current law says that any form of child abuse and neglect, or suspected child abuse and neglect, (including exposure…
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Running From The Cops With Your Kids in The Car is a Bad Idea!
A deputy from the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department noticed a vehicle driving with a broken headlight near Three Rivers. ‘Fix it’ tickets are pretty routine, and the officer tried to pull the car over to let the driver know they had a headlight out. But the driver had other ideas. Instead of stopping, the…
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How The Welfare System Makes it Harder For Battered Mothers to Seek Help! (Pt 1)
The National Coalition for Child Protection Reform has a very interesting, and honestly very sad story, about a policy California enforces that sounds unpleasantly like something you’d find right here in Michigan. The story tracks a mother named Ingrid Archie who was subject to regular assault from her domestic partner. Archie did everything she could…
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Are CPS Workers Now Also Mandatory Reporters For Animal Abuse in Michigan?
When people think of the words “CPS worker” and “mandatory reporter” they tend to think in terms of child abuse. Specifically, the fact that CPS workers are mandatory reporters themselves, and the fact that when a mandatory reporter calls in report suspect child abuse, it’s a CPS worker that shows up to investigate. But a…