Tag: Michigan CPS Defense

  • Would CPS Label You “Neglectful” if They Showed up at Your House Today? (Pt. 2)

    Welcome back, and thanks for joining us again for this difficult discussion on predictive risk assessment as it’s used by CPS to determine if parents are likely to harm their children. In the previous article we looked at an article written by Virginia Eubanks that explained the problems with predictive risk assessment, and how it…

  • Child Advocacy Center to Open in Lenawee County This Month!

    On January 26th, a whole group of people from a wide variety of agencies will get together on Broad Street in Adrian, Michigan to cut the ribbon of Lenawee County’s brand new Child Advocacy Center! Many other counties have something similar, but for Lenawee County, this is a first. Many agencies were involved in making…

  • Is Foster Care Better? Or Should Families be Kept Together? (pt. 1)

    The National Coalition for Child Protection Reform has long been of the belief that more harm is done by removing children from their homes, even if those homes are not the happiest, versus removing the kids from their imperfect families. As it turns out, they were on to something. And there’s evidence to prove it.…

  • Can Kids Use Medical Marijuana in Michigan? (Part 2)

    Welcome back, and thank for joining us again for this rather controversial discussion about kids and medical marijuana use in Michigan. In our previous article we talked about two separate cases here in Michigan. One ended with a child receiving legal medical marijuana treatment, while the other ended with child abuse charges. The difference, as…

  • Can Kids Use Medical Marijuana in Michigan? (Part 1)

    After the excitement following the legalization of medical marihuana (sometimes written as marijuana), 2014 ended with Michigan’s first medical marijuana child abuse case. Amy Renee Cunningham, a 31-year-old mother from Mesick village, chose to treat her sons with medical marijuana. The 10 and 12-year old allegedly suffered from emotional issues, and Cunningham said she prefered…

  • What is Foster Care Panic? And Does it Affect Child Welfare in Michigan? (Pt. 4)

    Welcome back and thanks for joining us. If you’re just finding this series now, we recommend you take a minute to get caught up. If you’ve been with us from the start, let’s dive in… At this point it we think it would be safe to assume that we are all on the same page.…

  • What is Foster Care Panic? And Does it Affect Child Welfare in Michigan? (Pt. 2)

      Welcome back and thanks for joining us for this in-depth look at the social phenomenon that is foster care panic. As we described in the intro, foster care panic is what happens whenever a child who was taken from their home by CPS, is sent back home and then dies. The ensuing outcry and…

  • The Truth About Interviewing Victims of Child Abuse (Part 4)

    This is a series aimed at taking an in-depth look at the many challenges a forensic interviewer faces when interviewing a child.  In the previous article we talked about the issue of confirmatory bias, and why it’s so important to keep all of the collected data free from preconceived ideas. In this segment we’re going…

  • MSU Study Shows Head Start Helps Keep Kids Out Of Foster Care

      A national study, lead by Michigan State University researcher Sacha Klein, shows that Head Start may do more than just provide kids with introductory education. As it turns out, the Head Start program may also help keeps kids out of the foster system. How is that possible, you wonder? According to Klein, there are…

  • Nurses To Replace CPS Workers For Home Visits in Kent County? (Part 2)

    Welcome back! In our previous article we talked about Target 8’s revealing investigation into the deaths of several babies born with drugs in their systems, and the response it provoked. From one specific person, that is – Joann Hoganson. As director of the Community Wellness Division at the Kent County Health Department, Hoganson believed there…