Michigan Laws 722.927 – Decision to investigate; notice; pursuing administrative remedies or channels of complaint; further investigation; violation of state or federal criminal law; complaint against child placing agen
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Terms Used In Michigan Laws 722.927
- Adoption attorney: means that term as defined in section 22 of the adoption code, MCL 710. See Michigan Laws 722.922
- advocate: means the individual appointed to the office of child advocate under section 3. See Michigan Laws 722.922
- Child: means an individual under the age of 18. See Michigan Laws 722.922
- Child placing agency: means an organization licensed or approved by the department to receive children for placement in private family homes for foster care or adoption and to provide services related to adoption. See Michigan Laws 722.922
- Complainant: means an individual who makes a complaint as provided in section 5. See Michigan Laws 722.922
- Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
- Department: means the department of health and human services. See Michigan Laws 722.922
- 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.
- Investigation: means either a preliminary investigation or a full investigation. See Michigan Laws 722.922
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Probate: Proving a will
- Residential facility: means a facility that provides juvenile justice services and is state operated, county operated, public, private and contracted, secure, or nonsecure. See Michigan Laws 722.922
- 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) Upon deciding to investigate a complaint, from a complainant and an individual not meeting the definition of complainant, the child advocate must notify the complainant or the individual not meeting the definition of complainant of the decision to investigate and must notify the department, adoption attorney, child placing agency, or residential facility of the intention to investigate. If the child advocate declines to investigate a complaint or continue an investigation, the child advocate must notify the complainant or the individual not meeting the definition of complainant and the department, child placing agency, or residential facility of the decision and of the reasons for the child advocate’s action.
(2) The child advocate must advise a complainant of administrative remedies and may advise the individual to pursue all administrative remedies or channels of complaint open to the complainant before pursuing a complaint with the child advocate. Subsequent to the administrative processing of a complaint, the child advocate may conduct further investigations of a complaint upon the request of the complainant or upon the child advocate’s own initiative.
(3) If the child advocate finds in the course of an investigation that an individual’s action is in violation of state or federal criminal law, the child advocate must immediately report that fact to the county prosecutor or the attorney general. If the complaint is against a child placing agency or residential facility, the child advocate must refer the matter to the department for further action with respect to licensing.
(4) The child advocate may file a petition on behalf of a child requesting the court to take jurisdiction under section 2(b) of chapter XIIA of the probate code of 1939, 1939 PA 288, MCL 712A.2, or a petition for termination of parental rights under section 19b of chapter XIIA of the probate code of 1939, 1939 PA 288, MCL 712A.19b, if the child advocate is satisfied that the complainant has contacted the department, the prosecuting attorney, the child’s attorney, and the child’s guardian ad litem, if any, and that none of these persons intend to file a petition as described in this subsection.