HB-5418, As Passed House, February 19, 2004

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE BILL No. 5418

 

January 22, 2004, Introduced by Reps. Hager, Vander Veen, Stahl, Voorhees, Sheen, Elkins, Clack and Hardman and referred to the Committee on Family and Children Services.

        

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to amend 1975 PA 238, entitled                                             

                                                                                

    "Child protection law,"                                                     

                                                                                

    by amending section 8d (MCL 722.628d), as amended by 2002 PA                

                                                                                

    661.                                                                        

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1       Sec. 8d.  (1) For the department's determination required by                

                                                                                

2   section 8, the categories, and the departmental response required           

                                                                                

3   for each category, are the following:                                       

                                                                                

4       (a) Category V - services not needed.  Following a field                    

                                                                                

5   investigation, the department determines that there is no                   

                                                                                

6   evidence of child abuse or neglect.                                         

                                                                                

7       (b) Category IV - community services recommended.  Following                

                                                                                

8   a field investigation, the department determines that there is              

                                                                                

9   not a preponderance of evidence of child abuse or neglect, but              

                                                                                

10  the structured decision-making tool indicates that there is                 

                                                                                


                                                                                

1   future risk of harm to the child.  The department shall assist              

                                                                                

2   the child's family in voluntarily participating in                          

                                                                                

3   community-based services commensurate with the risk to the                  

                                                                                

4   child.                                                                      

                                                                                

5       (c) Category III - community services needed.  The department               

                                                                                

6   determines that there is a preponderance of evidence of child               

                                                                                

7   abuse or neglect, and the structured decision-making tool                   

                                                                                

8   indicates a low or moderate risk of future harm to the child.               

                                                                                

9   The department shall assist the child's family in receiving                 

                                                                                

10  community-based services commensurate with the risk to the                  

                                                                                

11  child.  If the family does not voluntarily participate in                   

                                                                                

12  services, or the family voluntarily participates in services, but           

                                                                                

13  does not progress toward alleviating the child's risk level, the            

                                                                                

14  department shall consider reclassifying the case as category II.            

                                                                                

15      (d) Category II - child protective services required.  The                  

                                                                                

16  department determines that there is evidence of child abuse or              

                                                                                

17  neglect, and the structured decision-making tool indicates a high           

                                                                                

18  or intensive risk of future harm to the child.  The department              

                                                                                

19  shall open a protective services case and provide the services              

                                                                                

20  necessary under this act.  The department shall also list the               

                                                                                

21  perpetrator of the child abuse or neglect, based on the report              

                                                                                

22  that was the subject of the field investigation, on the central             

                                                                                

23  registry, either by name or as "unknown" if the perpetrator has             

                                                                                

24  not been identified.                                                        

                                                                                

25      (e) Category I - court petition required.  The department                   

                                                                                

26  determines that there is evidence of child abuse or neglect and 1           

                                                                                

27  or more of the following are true:                                          


                                                                                

1                                                                                (i) A court petition is required under another provision of                         

                                                                                

2   this act.                                                                   

                                                                                

3       (ii) The child is not safe and a petition for removal is                     

                                                                                

4   needed.                                                                     

                                                                                

5       (iii) The department previously classified the case as                       

                                                                                

6   category II and the child's family does not voluntarily                     

                                                                                

7   participate in services.                                                    

                                                                                

8       (iv) There is a violation, involving the child, of a crime                   

                                                                                

9   listed or described in section 8a(1)(b), (c), (d), or (f) or of             

                                                                                

10  child abuse in the first or second degree as prescribed by                  

                                                                                

11  section 136b of the Michigan penal code, 1931 PA 328, MCL                   

                                                                                

12  750.136b.                                                                   

                                                                                

13      (2) In response to a category I classification, the                         

                                                                                

14  department shall do all of the following:                                   

                                                                                

15      (a) If a court petition is not required under another                       

                                                                                

16  provision of this act, submit a petition for authorization by the           

                                                                                

17  court under section 2(b) of chapter XIIA of the probate code of             

                                                                                

18  1939, 1939 PA 288, MCL 712A.2.                                              

                                                                                

19      (b) Open a protective services case and provide the services                

                                                                                

20  necessary under this act.                                                   

                                                                                

21      (c) List the perpetrator of the child abuse or neglect, based               

                                                                                

22  on the report that was the subject of the field investigation, on           

                                                                                

23  the central registry, either by name or as "unknown" if the                 

                                                                                

24  perpetrator has not been identified.                                        

                                                                                

25      (3) The department is not required to use the structured                    

                                                                                

26  decision-making tool for a nonparent adult who resides outside              

                                                                                

27  the child's home who is the victim or alleged victim of child               


                                                                                

1   abuse or neglect or for an owner, operator, volunteer, or                   

                                                                                

2   employee of a licensed or registered child care organization or a           

                                                                                

3   licensed or unlicensed adult foster care family home or adult               

                                                                                

4   foster care small group home as those terms are defined in                  

                                                                                

5   section 3 of the adult foster care facility licensing act, 1979             

                                                                                

6   PA 218, MCL 400.703.                                                        

                                                                                

7       (4) If following a field investigation the department                       

                                                                                

8   determines that there is a preponderance of evidence that an                

                                                                                

9   individual listed in subsection (3) was the perpetrator of child            

                                                                                

10  abuse or neglect, the department shall list the perpetrator of              

                                                                                

11  the child abuse or neglect on the central registry.                         

                                                                                

12      (5) The department shall furnish a written report described                 

                                                                                

13  in subsection  (6) to the appropriate legislative standing                  

                                                                                

14  committees and the house and senate appropriations subcommittees            

                                                                                

15  for the department within 4 months after each of the following              

                                                                                

16  time periods:                                                               

                                                                                

17      (a) Beginning October 1,  1999  2002 and ending September 30,               

                                                                                

18  2000  2003.                                                                

                                                                                

19      (b) Beginning October 1,  2000  2003 and ending September 30,               

                                                                                

20  2001  2004.                                                                

                                                                                

21      (c) Beginning October 1,  2001  2004 and ending September 30,               

                                                                                

22  2002  2005.                                                                

                                                                                

23      (6) The department shall include in a report required by                    

                                                                                

24  subsection  (5) at least all of the following information                   

                                                                                

25  regarding all families that were classified in category III at              

                                                                                

26  some time during the time period covered by the report:                     

                                                                                

27      (a) The total number of families classified in category III.                


     House Bill No. 5418 as amended February 19, 2004

   

1       [(b) The number and percentage classified in category III that          

                                                                                

2   voluntarily participated in services and that did not participate           

                                                                                

3   in services.                                                                

       (b) The number of cases in category III closed during the time period covered by the report categorized as follows:

     (i) Transfer to foster care.

     (ii) Risk of further child abuse or neglect has been reduced to an acceptable level.

     (iii) The perpetrator no longer has access to the child victim.

     (iv) Unsatisfactory family response – referral to court not feasible.

     (v) Child protective services not needed – family is receiving services from another program.

     (vi) Client unavailable for services, location of client unknown.

       (vii) Other.]                                                            

4       (c) The number for which the department entered more than 1                 

                                                                                

5   determination that there was evidence of child abuse or neglect.            

                                                                                

6       (d) The number the department reclassified from category III                

                                                                                

7   to category II.