Michigan Laws 722.623 – Individual required to report child abuse or neglect; report by telephone or online reporting system; written report; contents; transmitting report to centralized intake; copies to prosecuting at
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Terms Used In Michigan Laws 722.623
- Adult foster care location authorized to care for a child: means an adult foster care family home or adult foster care small group home as defined in section 3 of the adult foster care facility licensing act, 1979 PA 218, MCL 400. See Michigan Laws 722.622
- Allegation: something that someone says happened.
- Attorney: means , if appointed to represent a child under the provisions referenced in section 10, an attorney serving as the child's legal advocate in the manner defined and described in section 13a of chapter XIIA of the probate code of 1939, 1939 PA 288, MCL 712A. See Michigan Laws 722.622
- Centralized intake: means the department's statewide centralized processing center for reports of suspected child abuse and child neglect. See Michigan Laws 722.622
- Child: means an individual under 18 years of age. See Michigan Laws 722.622
- Child abuse: means harm or threatened harm to a child's health or welfare that occurs through nonaccidental physical or mental injury, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, or maltreatment, by a parent, a legal guardian, any other person responsible for the child's health or welfare, a teacher, a teacher's aide, a member of the clergy, or an individual 18 years of age or older who is involved with a youth program. See Michigan Laws 722.622
- Child care organization: means that term as defined in section 1 of 1973 PA 116, MCL 722. See Michigan Laws 722.622
- Child care provider: means an owner, operator, employee, or volunteer of a child care organization or of an adult foster care location authorized to care for a child. See Michigan Laws 722.622
- Child care regulatory agency: means the department of licensing and regulatory affairs, the department's division of child welfare licensing, or a successor state department that is responsible for the licensing or registration of child care organizations or the licensing of adult foster care locations authorized to care for a child. See Michigan Laws 722.622
- Child neglect: means harm or threatened harm to a child's health or welfare by a parent, legal guardian, or any other person responsible for the child's health or welfare that occurs through either of the following:
(i) Negligent treatment, including the failure to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter, or medical care, though financially able to do so, or by the failure to seek financial or other reasonable means to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter, or medical care. See Michigan Laws 722.622Department: means the department of health and human services. See Michigan Laws 722.622 Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other. Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs. Member of the clergy: means a priest, minister, rabbi, Christian science practitioner, spiritual leader, or other religious practitioner, or similar functionary of a church, temple, spiritual community, or recognized religious body, denomination, or organization. See Michigan Laws 722.622 month: means a calendar month; the word "year" a calendar year; and the word "year" alone shall be equivalent to the words "year of our Lord". See Michigan Laws 8.3j Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period. Online reporting system: means the electronic system established by the department for individuals identified in section 3(1) to report suspected child abuse or child neglect. See Michigan Laws 722.622 person: may extend and be applied to bodies politic and corporate, as well as to individuals. See Michigan Laws 8.3l Probate: Proving a will state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories belonging to the United States; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the district and territories. See Michigan Laws 8.3o
(1) An individual is required to report under this act as follows:
(a) A physician, dentist, physician’s assistant, registered dental hygienist, medical examiner, nurse, person licensed to provide emergency medical care, audiologist, psychologist, physical therapist, physical therapist assistant, occupational therapist, athletic trainer, marriage and family therapist, licensed professional counselor, social worker, licensed master’s social worker, licensed bachelor’s social worker, registered social service technician, social service technician, a person employed in a professional capacity in any office of the friend of the court, school administrator, school counselor or teacher, law enforcement officer, member of the clergy, or regulated child care provider who has reasonable cause to suspect child abuse or child neglect shall make an immediate report to centralized intake by telephone, or, if available, through the online reporting system, of the suspected child abuse or child neglect. Within 72 hours after making an oral report by telephone to centralized intake, the reporting person shall file a written report as required in this act. If the immediate report has been made using the online reporting system and that report includes the information required in a written report under subsection (2), that report is considered a written report for the purposes of this section and no additional written report is required. If the reporting person is a member of the staff of a hospital, agency, or school, the reporting person shall notify the person in charge of the hospital, agency, or school of his or her finding and that the report has been made, and shall make a copy of the written or electronic report available to the person in charge. A notification to the person in charge of a hospital, agency, or school does not relieve the member of the staff of the hospital, agency, or school of the obligation of reporting to the department as required by this section. One report from a hospital, agency, or school is adequate to meet the reporting requirement. A member of the staff of a hospital, agency, or school shall not be dismissed or otherwise penalized for making a report required by this act or for cooperating in an investigation.
(b) A department employee who is 1 of the following and has reasonable cause to suspect child abuse or child neglect shall make a report of suspected child abuse or child neglect to the department in the same manner as required under subdivision (a):
(i) Eligibility specialist.
(ii) Family independence manager.
(iii) Family independence specialist.
(iv) Social services specialist.
(v) Social work specialist.
(vi) Social work specialist manager.
(vii) Welfare services specialist.
(c) Any employee of an organization or entity that, as a result of federal funding statutes, regulations, or contracts, would be prohibited from reporting in the absence of a state mandate or court order. A person required to report under this subdivision shall report in the same manner as required under subdivision (a).
(2) The written report or a report made using the online reporting system must contain the name of the child and a description of the child abuse or child neglect. If possible, the report shall contain the names and addresses of the child’s parents, the child’s guardian, the persons with whom the child resides, and the child’s age. The report shall contain other information available to the reporting person that might establish the cause of the child abuse or child neglect, and the manner in which the child abuse or child neglect occurred.
(3) The department shall inform the reporting person of the required contents of the written report at the time the oral report is made by the reporting person.
(4) The written report required in this section must be mailed or otherwise transmitted to centralized intake.
(5) Upon receipt of a written report of suspected child abuse or child neglect, the department may provide copies to the prosecuting attorney and the probate court of the counties in which the child suspected of being abused or neglected resides and is found.
(6) If an allegation, written report, or subsequent investigation of suspected child abuse or child neglect indicates a violation of section 136b, 145c, 462a to 462h, or 520b to 520g of the Michigan penal code, 1931 PA 328, MCL 750.136b, 750.145c, 750.462a to 750.462h, and 750.520b to 750.520g, or a violation of section 7401c of the public health code, 1978 PA 368, MCL 333.7401c, involving methamphetamine has occurred, or if the allegation, written report, or subsequent investigation indicates that the suspected child abuse or child neglect was committed by an individual who is not a person responsible for the child’s health or welfare, including, but not limited to, a member of the clergy, a teacher, a teacher’s aide, or an individual 18 years of age or older who is involved in a youth program, the department must transmit a copy of the allegation or written report and the results of any investigation to a law enforcement agency in the county in which the incident occurred. If an allegation, written report, or subsequent investigation indicates that the individual who committed the suspected child abuse or child neglect is a child care provider and the department believes that the report has basis in fact, the department shall, within 24 hours after completion of the allegation, written report, or subsequent investigation, transmit a copy of the written report or the results of the investigation to the child care regulatory agency with authority over the child care provider’s child care organization or adult foster care location authorized to care for a child.
(7) If a local law enforcement agency receives an allegation or written report of suspected child abuse or child neglect or discovers evidence of or receives a report of an individual allowing a child to be exposed to or to have contact with methamphetamine production, and the allegation, written report, or subsequent investigation indicates that the child abuse or child neglect or allowing a child to be exposed to or to have contact with methamphetamine production, was committed by a person responsible for the child’s health or welfare, the local law enforcement agency shall refer the allegation or provide a copy of the written report and the results of any investigation to the county department of the county in which the abused or neglected child is found, as required by subsection (1)(a). If an allegation, written report, or subsequent investigation indicates that the individual who committed the suspected child abuse or child neglect or allowed a child to be exposed to or to have contact with methamphetamine production, is a child care provider and the local law enforcement agency believes that the report has basis in fact, the local law enforcement agency shall transmit a copy of the written report or the results of the investigation to the child care regulatory agency with authority over the child care provider’s child care organization or adult foster care location authorized to care for a child. Neither this subsection nor subsection (1) relieves the department of its responsibilities to investigate reports of suspected child abuse or child neglect under this act.
(8) For purposes of this act, the pregnancy of a child less than 12 years of age or the presence of a sexually transmitted infection in a child who is over 1 month of age but less than 12 years of age is reasonable cause to suspect child abuse or child neglect has occurred.
(9) In conducting an investigation of child abuse or child neglect, if the department suspects that a child has been exposed to or has had contact with methamphetamine production, the department shall immediately contact the law enforcement agency in the county in which the incident occurred.