Competency Exam Denied in 2014 Saginaw Child Abuse and Murder Case In a 2014 Saginaw County case, a man accused of child abuse and murder was denied a mental competency evaluation, despite his attorney’s claims that he may not have understood the charges or been capable of assisting in his defense. The defendant, Aki…
Category: CPS Defense
Poverty Is Not Neglect: When CPS Misidentifies Struggling Parents as Abusers Imagine a teacher notices a student wearing a coat that’s too small in the middle of winter, or a doctor observes that a child at a well-child checkup appears undernourished. Often, these professionals do what they’ve been trained to do—they call the CPS…
Did Child Abuse Reports Really Drop During the Pandemic? The Numbers Might Be Misleading. Since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, news outlets across the country reported a dramatic decline in the number of child abuse and neglect reports made to Child Protective Services (CPS) hotlines. But does that mean fewer children are being…
New Michigan Law Demands Greater Transparency From the Office of Children’s Ombudsman In a move to improve oversight of Michigan’s child welfare system, recently enacted legislation now requires the Office of Children’s Ombudsman (OCO) to release redacted reports following investigations into allegations of child abuse or neglect. These reforms aim to bring long-overdue transparency and…
August 2022 marked a notable update to Michigan’s Child Protection Law with the addition of physical therapists, occupational therapists, and athletic trainers to the list of professionals designated as mandatory reporters of suspected child abuse and neglect. This change reflects Michigan’s ongoing efforts to protect vulnerable children by expanding the categories of professionals required to…
When parents hear the term Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI)—commonly known as brittle bone disease—they’re often struck by the severity of the name. And rightly so. OI is a rare genetic disorder that affects the body’s ability to produce strong bones, making individuals more prone to fractures and other complications. While OI affects approximately 1 in 10,000…
The current law on how child abuse and neglect, and suspected child abuse and neglect are dealt with, is very clear. Any type of abuse or neglect of a child (including exposure to drugs or methamphetamines) must be reported to the police. And within 24 hours of that report, they’re required to reach out to…
Hello and welcome back. In the previous article we looked at a few of the different ways The National Coalition for Child Protection Reform is working with different CPS agencies around the country to help them overcome their difficulties. And if you follow our blog you know already know all about their difficulties. Here in…
Welcome back and thanks for joining us again for this discussion on your rights during a CPS investigation. As we mentioned in our previous article, many people know their Miranda rights when they get arrested, but they have no idea what rights they have when CPS shows up on their doorstep! The United States Constitution…
Many people are familiar with their rights when they get arrested for alleged criminal activity. They know they have the right to remain silent despite police questioning, and the right to an attorney. After all, just about everyone has seen a movie where someone gets arrested and read their Miranda rights. But did you know,…