Parents accused of neglecting their children in Michigan would be wise to seek the assistance of an experienced Michigan neglect defense attorney. Our lawyers can help. Cronkright law attorneys have been standing up for parents and against CPS for decades. We have achieved very favorable results for our clients under very difficult circumstances. We are a law firm focused on keeping families together, preserving parental rights, helping parents with complex and difficult cases and getting the government out of your home.
What is Child Neglect in Michigan?
In general, child neglect is failing to care for the need of a child. Common neglect allegations include failing to properly feed a child, failing to seek proper medical attention or provide necessary medical care, failing to properly educate the child, failing to properly supervise the child, and failing to properly defend the child from harm caused by someone else. Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, through the Children’s Protective Services division is charged by law with investigating reports of child neglect and child abuse. These reports most often come from police, school employees, medical professionals, neighbors and family members. Cronkright Law attorneys have helped parents with every type of neglect and abuse allegations and have built an amazing track record for keeping parent and child together.
If CPS Shows Up:
We recommend that any parent with CPS involvement in their life at least have the case screened by a CPS defense attorney. With some frequency, we review the matter with a parent and recommend that they not spend money on an attorney at this time. We never charge for an initial phone consultation. However, on the opposite end of the spectrum, there are times when we identify significant threats to a parent’s rights and even a significant risk of being prosecuted for a crime. Naturally, in those instances we recommend hiring an attorney immediately. We can help you identify the risk factors in your situation so that you can make an informed decision about how to proceed.
If CPS Wants to Interview My Child:
Standard investigative protocol for a Michigan CPS investigation is to interview all of the children in the home or in the family. If your children are in public or private school, there is very little you can do to prevent this. Michigan law allows them to interview children without prior notice to parents when they deem it necessary. Somehow, they always deem it necessary. Public and Private school officials are more afraid of CPS than they are of you and will always co-operate. If your children are old enough and mature enough, they can insist on having you present, or they can insist on having an attorney present. As a practical matter, very few children can withstand the pressure of the moment when a CPS worker says, “you have to talk to me.”
For in-home interviews, a CPS worker will not generally interview the child in the presence of parents. Parents who are uneasy about the CPS interview should discuss the matter with their attorney in advance. It is best practice to record every interview with a child. Balanced and honest investigators will honor your request to audio record an interview. Those recordings should be available to you and your attorney later on.
Defending a Child Neglect Case
There are many defenses to a child neglect allegation. We tailor every defense strategy to the facts of your case and work closely with you to put the correct strategies in place. Because our attorneys have been successfully defending parents for decades, we have guided many families through the process of getting CPS out of their homes.
If you need the immediate assistance of a family defense attorney, please call (517) 881-4643.