Michigan's Women, Infants & Children program, providing supplemental nutrition, breastfeeding information, and other resources for healthy mothers & babies.
Information on the Family Independence Program, State Disability Assistance, SSI, Refugee, and other cash assistance.
If you cannot afford child care, payment assistance is available.
Children's Special Health Care Services information and FAQ's.
Information on assistance with home repairs, heat and utility bills, relocation, home ownership, burials, home energy, and eligibility requirements.
Information on the Food Assistance Program, eligibility requirements, and other food resources.
Information about the health care programs available through Medicaid and how to qualify.
Our migrant program works with a number of organizations to provide services for Michigan’s migrant and seasonal farmworkers.
Low-income Households Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP)
A federal program which helps persons admitted into the U.S. as refugees to become self-sufficient after their arrival.
Universal caseload, or task-based processing, is a different way of handling public assistance cases.
Information on the Children's Protective Services Program, child abuse reporting procedures, and help for parents in caring for their children.
Information on adoption programs, adoption resources, locating birth parents and obtaining information from adoption records.
Information on Adult Protective Services, Independent Living Services, Adult Community Placement Services, and HIV/AIDS Support Services.
Information on child support services for participants and partners.
Programs for healthy children & families, including immunization, lead poisoning prevention, prenatal smoking cessation, and many others.
Information on the Children's Foster Care program and becoming a Foster Parent.
Information about the Michigan law that requires certain information be made available to a woman who is seeking an abortion at least 24 hours prior to the abortion procedure.
Information on treatment and services for juvenile offenders, success stories, and more.
Child Welfare Medical and Behavioral Health Resources
Prevention and Family Preservation Services
The Michigan Domestic & Sexual Violence Prevention and Treatment Board administers state and federal funding for domestic violence shelters and advocacy services, develops and recommends policy, and develops and provides technical assistance and training.
Information about injury and violence prevention programs in Michigan
Information on Safe Sleep for your baby, how to protect your baby's life.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services' (MDHHS) Division of Environmental Health (DEH) uses the best available science to reduce, eliminate, or prevent harm from environmental, chemical, and physical hazards.
Resources and information to assist in assuring firearm safety for families in the state of Michigan.
Medical Resources for Child Protection
Adult Behavioral Health & Developmental Disability Services
Multicultural Health
Prevention of diseases & conditions such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and many others.
Information on communicable & chronic diseases.
Home to an array of public health programs, initiatives and interventions aimed at improving the health and well-being of women, infants, families and communities.
Birth, Death, Marriage and Divorce Records
Boards and Commissions
Bridge Card Participation Information on Electronic Benefits for clients and businesses, lists of participating retailers and ATMs, and QUEST.
Provider Payments Information on the direct deposit of State of Michigan payments into a provider's bank account.
Information on How to Bid, Requests for Proposals, forms and publications, contractor rates, and manuals.
Information & resources for Community and Faith-Based partners
Information on DHS Applications and Forms grouped by category.
Health Care Providers
Licensing information for Adult Foster Care and Homes for the Aged, Child Day Care Facilities, Child Caring Institutions, Children's Foster Care Homes, Child Placing Agencies, Juvenile Court Operated Facilities and Children's or Adult Foster Care Camps.
Michigan Statewide Systems of Care
Information on the grant awarded for the State Innovation Model Proposal
Protect MiFamily -Title IV-E Waiver
Offers resources for agencies who operate the Weatherization Assistance Program in the state of Michigan
Information is collected to monitor the general health and well-being of Michigan citizens.
Information on resources in your community and volunteer recruitment and training, and services provided at local DHS offices.
Equal Opportunity, Legal Base, Laws and Reporting Welfare Fraud information.
A variety of reports & statistics for programs and services.
Search is currently unavailable. Please try again later.
The web Browser you are currently using is unsupported, and some features of this site may not work as intended. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer.
Video Recording of Child Interviews
Task Force Publication Sharing
Governor's Task Force Protocols
There has been an annual Summit sponsored by the Task Force since 1995. There have been approximately 300 attendees including judges, prosecutors, attorneys, law enforcement, agency staff and other child welfare advocates each year. The themes have varied over the years on issues related to child welfare. The topic each year is chosen in response to needs and interests expressed by key professionals who attend the Summit, or may be reflective of concerns brought to the attention of the Task Force.
Under the Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), the United States Congress mandated states receiving CAPTA funding establish a minimum of three Citizen Review Panels to assess and develop recommendations for the improvement of a state's child protection system. This specific panel, the Citizen Review Panel for Children's Protective Services, Foster Care, and Adoption (CRP), have held numerous panel discussions throughout the state of Michigan to facilitate discussion in regard to primary and secondary trauma. This panel has spoken to individuals involved in the child welfare system, including, but not limited to, foster care workers, child protective services worker, foster parents, children who have aged out of foster care, and law enforcement officers. Throughout the two-year project, this committee focused on how to improve child welfare services in Michigan for all those involved by addressing primary and secondary trauma.
Currently, this committee is focusing on identifying the gaps in ensuring safety for children of substance impaired parents/caregivers post birth. To do this, the committee is working to address systematic concerns regarding Plans of Safe Care.
To learn more about the activities of the Citizen Review Panels, view the 2014 Annual Report.
Training & Development for Child Welfare Professionals
The Task Force, through MDHHS, developed an interagency agreement with the State Court Administrative Office, Child Welfare Services Division (SCAO-CWS) to provide training to child welfare professionals through established, and to-be-developed curricula, training modules, conferences, interactive webinars and video presentations; and to write, print, distribute, and implement protocols, resource guides, practice manuals and other materials related to such training. The target audience for training opportunities includes Parent Attorneys, Lawyer Guardians Ad Litem (LGAL), Prosecutors, Jurists, Children's Protective Services (CPS) Specialists, Foster Care Specialists, Private Agency Caseworkers, and Tribes. All activities provided by the interagency agreement are approved by the GTF Training Committee. In FY2015, SCAO-CWS provided 55 child welfare training programs with a total of 2,662 attendees. The information below presents details of the child welfare training opportunities offered by SCAO-CWS through the interagency agreement.
L-GAL "Bootcamp"
In FY2015, SCAO-CWS began implementation of the L-GAL "Boot Camp" curriculum. This training provides basic training specific to those attorneys representing children in child protective proceedings. L-GALs must fulfill certain statutory duties over the course of their representation. The training reviews the statutory requirements in detail and provides participants with practical strategies to fulfill their responsibilities. L-GALs also learn child development principles and MDHHS policy regarding issues of placement and parenting-child visitation. The L-GAL "Bootcamp" training is offered several times during the year at multiple locations throughout the state.
Parent Attorney Training
The Parent Attorney Training provides a comprehensive overview of the procedural rights given to parents by statutes, court rules, case law, and MDHHS policies. The training reviews the major decisions that must be made in a child protective case (e.g., removal, creation of a service plan, termination of parental rights) and discusses ways parents' lawyers can use the law to protect their client's rights. Attorneys also learn how to preserve issues for purposes of appeal.
Child Welfare Essentials and Reasonable Efforts Advocacy
SCAO-CWS provides this training at several locations throughout the state for caseworkers and attorneys. The training provides participants with an overview of the legal process and procedures for child protective proceedings, MDHHS policy requirements for case practice, and child development principles. In addition, the training allows for discussion amongst varying child welfare professionals to increase collaboration and knowledge building.
Testifying in Court for Non-Lawyers
This training is offered several times during the year in several locations throughout the state. The morning portion of this full-day training features the components of witness testimony and courtroom hearing procedures. Through group discussion and mock trial practice exercises, the afternoon portion helps caseworkers develop and expand their courtroom presentations and improve their ability to testify effectively. The training focuses on the roles and responsibilities of adoption, foster care, and protective services workers as they relate to child protective proceedings. The training explains the importance of being prepared and how preparedness improves courtroom performance. The dos and don'ts of testifying in court, including courtroom demeanor and the substantive elements of effective testimony, are presented during the training.
Handling the Indian Child Case
Cases involving identified Indian Children are subject to additional legal requirements under the federal Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and Michigan Indian Family Preservation Act (MIFPA). This training provides participants with a nuts and bolts understanding of the legal requirements of the acts, as well as a detailed review of the role of a Qualified Expert Witness (QEW) in those cases. The training is typically offered twice a year.
New Jurist Training
SCAO-CWS provides training to jurists (i.e., judges and referees) who are newly assigned to handle a child welfare docket. This training provides an overview of state and federal laws, Title IV-E funding requirements, and includes a mock case scenario exercise utilizing judicial bench cards and model court orders.
Title IV-E Refresher Training
SCAO-CWS and the MDHHS Office of Federal Compliance (FCD) conduct joint training programs on Title IV-E requirements. The training includes an overview of state and federal Title IV-E laws and regulations, court rules, MDHHS policy, and required court findings. The training is conducted jointly to re-enforce the collaborative message and answer questions related to MDHHS. Counties may request this training by contacting SCAO. This format provides a unique opportunity for the Court and the County MDHHS Office to attend a local training together and hear a unified message from State level leadership. It is also a productive opportunity for the Court and County MDHHS Office to problem-solve on any barriers in their local processes, and establish new relationships. The participants of these trainings often include Judges, Referees, Court Administrators, Court Clerks, Registers, MDHHS Directors, MDHHS Supervisors, MDHHS Caseworkers, Child Welfare Funding Specialists, the Prosecutor, and the Tribes.
Multi-Disciplinary Training Opportunities
SCAO-CWS offers multi-disciplinary trainings to address the needs and commonly-occurring issues that must be addressed by all child welfare professionals. The following multi-disciplinary trainings were offered in FY 2015: Secondary Trauma and Self Care for Child Welfare Professionals, Educational Issues in Child Welfare, Engaging and Working with Incarcerated Parents, Trends in Child and Family Services Drug Testing, The Trauma of Disruption, Domestic Violence in Child Welfare, Mental Health Issues in Child Welfare, Child Development Issues, Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Issues, and Cultural Competency. The following programs will be offered throughout FY2016: Implicit Bias and Making Quality Decisions, Child Development, Mental Health Issues in Child Welfare, and Sexual Abuse. In addition, the GTF annual conference will focus on human trafficking issues. The trainings are offered in different locations throughout the state in an effort to provide accessible training to all child welfare professionals.
Provision of Social Worker Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
Michigan law requires licensure for bachelors and masters level social workers. Included in the licensure requirements are certain amounts and types of continuing education and training. To enhance the ability of child welfare workers to receive appropriate training hours as part of their work responsibilities, and to provide an incentive to attend trainings, SCAO-CWS provides CEUs at no cost to the participants for select trainings. SCAO-CWS has been accepted by the National Association of Social Workers, Michigan Chapter, as a provider of social work CEUs.
Michigan Child Welfare Training Clearinghouse
During 2015, SCAO-CWS developed the Michigan Child Welfare Training Clearinghouse. The Child Welfare Training Clearinghouse is designed to provide a central location for child welfare training opportunities across the State of Michigan from all of the primary training providers. The training clearinghouse will ensure coordination of training topics and collaboration among training providers. The current training providers include: Children's Trust Fund, MDHHS Office of Workforce Development and Training, MDHHS University In-Service, Michigan Federation for Children and Families, Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan Child Abuse Training Services, and State Court Administrative Office. Additional training providers are welcome to submit information for the clearinghouse.
Visit the Michigan Child Welfare Training Clearinghouse at courts.mi.gov/cwtraining.
VIDEO RECORDING OF CHILD INTERVIEWS
The Task Force takes an active interest and position regarding the video recording of child forensic interviews as a means for reducing trauma and re-victimization of child victims. The Task Force organized a committee to explore the pros and cons of video recording. A successful child interview video recording pilot was conducted by the Task Force, determining that more cases resulted in a plea being entered to the original criminal charge if the interview was video recorded. It was also found that a higher percentage of criminal cases were disposed of with a plea being entered prior to trial when the child's interview was video recorded. In March 2003, Michigan laws were changed to ensure confidentiality of video recorded statements. In 2006, the Task Force passed a resolution stating, "The Governor's Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect supports as a best practice the video recording of investigative forensic interviews of sexually abused children at child advocacy centers or similar program." The Task Force has continued to closely follow pending legislation related to video recording of child interviews.
The Task Force has granted partial funding for the publication, printing, and quarterly distribution of the Child Welfare Law Journal for several years. The Journal focuses on an interdisciplinary approach to child welfare. The Journal's content revolves around practice issues and is distributed to professionals working in the field of child welfare including social workers, MDHHS county office staff, attorneys, psychologists, and medical professionals among others.
TASK FORCE PUBLICATION SHARING
The Task Force has always made their publications available to the public, free of charge, in order to further their mission of improving the investigative, administrative and judicial handling of cases of child abuse and neglect in Michigan. In March 2010, the Task Force received a request from the State of Maine asking permission to use Michigan's Forensic Interviewing Protocol as a basis to create an interviewing protocol specific to their state. Maine was the first state to formally adopt Michigan's forensic interviewing model, although the Task Force is aware that the Federal Bureau of Investigations also uses Michigan's protocol during investigations involving children. In April of 2010, the Task Force, along with MDHHS, granted permission to Maine to use Michigan's protocol. Since that time, personnel from Michigan have continued to work with Maine to create and update their protocol and training curriculum.
In September of 2010, the State of Nevada requested that personnel from Michigan train forensic interviewing of children using Michigan's protocol as the training curriculum. The Task Force, along with MDHHS and the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan, helped to facilitate training to meet Nevada's needs and supplied Nevada with hard copies of the protocol. Nevada has previously used Michigan's Forensic Interviewing Protocol to train their children's protective services investigators, law enforcement personnel and prosecutors in child interviewing.
Brochure: 2021 Summit Brochure
Presenter: Amelia Siders,Ph.D.
GTFCAN PSB Presentation slides
Governor's Task Force Protocols
Legislation
American Humane Pets and Women's Shelters (PAWS)™ Program Startup Guide
Recommendations for Coordination between Friends of the Court and MDHHS Children's Protective Services
Citizen Review Panel Child Protective Services, Foster Care and Adoption
Resources for Mandated Reporters of Child Abuse and Neglect
Addressing the Educational Needs of Children in Foster Care in Michigan-Resource and Best Practice Guide
Supervising Child Protective Services Caseworkers
Michigan Committee on Juvenile Justice
Michigan Child Welfare Law Journal
GOVERNOR'S TASK FORCE PROTOCOLS
A Model Child Abuse Protocol
The protocol is designed to be adapted at the local level, county by county, applying the guidelines for developing community-based interagency child abuse protocols.
A Model Child Abuse Protocol
Forensic Interviewing Protocol
From 1996 to 1998, MDHHS and the Governor's Task Force on Children's Justice worked together with Debra Poole, Ph.D., Central Michigan University, in developing and implementing this protocol that would improve the interviewing techniques of all professionals involved in the investigation of child physical and sexual abuse in Michigan.
Forensic Interviewing Protocol
Provisional Tele-Forensic Interview Guidelines
Tele-forensic interviews can be the best choice for communicating with children who are currently out of local jurisdiction, hospitalized but capable of participating in an interview, or cared for by adults who are unable or refuse to travel due to health or other reasons.
Tele-forensic interviewing changes the way children see and hear interviewers but does not alter the fundamental structure of interviews or waive interviewers' training requirements or agency policies. Like face-to-face interviews, tele-forensic interviews are part of broader efforts to reduce trauma to children and provide post-victimization services. Consequently, these guidelines include suggestions for maintaining multidisciplinary team (MDT) involvement (when appropriate) and for ensuring that children interviewed via videoconference applications are connected to available victim services.
Provisional Tele-Forensic Interview Guidelines
Michigan Child Injury and Death Coordinated and Comprehensive Investigation Resource Protocol
The Task Force contracted with Michigan Public Health Institute to develop the Michigan Child Injury and Death Coordinated and Comprehensive Investigation Resource Protocol. The purpose behind the Resource Protocol is to provide information to ensure successful coordinated investigations in child maltreatment cases, including child maltreatment cases that result in a child death, and to minimize additional trauma to child victims.
Child Injury and Death Resource Protocol
Medical Child Abuse: A Collaborative Approach to Identification, Investigation, Assessment and Intervention
The purpose of this publication is to present an updated multidisciplinary approach that guides various professionals through the identification, investigation and assessment of and intervention in cases involving suspected Medical Child Abuse (MCA). Identifying and responding to this complex form of child abuse requires a carefully coordinated multidisciplinary intervention. This publication is not a substitute for professionals' knowledge of Medical Child Abuse from the perspective of their disciplines. Rather, it is meant to serve an integrative and coordinating function to help professionals understand their roles in responding to cases of suspected Medical Child Abuse with the common goal of ensuring the safety of the child victims.
Medical Child Abuse Protocol
Michigan's Child Protection Law
Michigan's Child Protection Law is available here.
American Humane Pets and Women's Shelters (PAWS)™ Program Startup Guide
American Humane is leading a national program to guide domestic and family violence emergency housing shelters toward permitting residents to bring their pets with them. American Humane's Pets and Women's Shelters (PAWS)™ Program acknowledges the richness of the bond between people and their pets, which often provide unconditional love and comfort to adult domestic violence victims and their children. For that reason - as well as for the safety of the pets - American Humane strongly advocates keeping domestic violence victims and their pets together whenever possible. This Startup Guide provides simple, how-to methods for starting a PAWS Program at a domestic violence shelter.
Recommendations for Coordination between Friends of the Court and Department of Human Services' Children's Protective Services
In Michigan, Children's Protective Services (CPS) and Friend of the Court (FOC) offices operate separately in the executive and judicial branches of the government. However, they are equally dedicated to the best interests and safety of the children they serve. Because families may be involved with both CPS and the FOC, there is a need to coordinate activities between these agencies. Several state and county agencies appointed employees to form a workgroup to develop recommendations for coordinating local FOC and CPS activities. Local CPS and FOC staff can use these recommendations to coordinate activities that work best in their respective counties. The recommendations are also intended to assist families in understanding the roles and responsibilities of CPS and FOC.
Citizen Review Panel on Child Protective Services, Foster Care and Adoption
The Governor's Task Force on Children's Justice services as one of the three Citizen Review Panels required by CAPTA legislation. To view the national Citizen Review Panel site, go to the following link:
National Citizen Review Panels
Resources for Mandated Reporters Of Child Abuse and Neglect
Mandated reporters are professionals under the Child Protection Law that are required to report suspected incidence of child abuse and/or neglect. Go to the mandated reporters page of the MDHHS Web site for more information on who are mandated reporters and how to report. Michigan State University's Chance at Childhood Program has also developed resource guides for mandated reporters. To view those resource guides, go to the publications page at the Chance at Childhood Web site .
Anyone who has suspects child abuse and neglect can report to MDHHS. Go to the of the MDHHS Web site, report abuse now page , for more information on making a report to CPS.
Back to Top
Addressing the Educational Needs of Children in Foster Care in MichiganResources and Best Practices
Each person who influences a foster child's education is given an opportunity to mitigate the effects that placement in foster care will have on the child's long-term educational success. This resource guide is the first step toward positively affecting a foster child's education. The purpose of this resource guide is to:
View the Education Resource and Best Practices Guide here.
Back to Top
Supervising Child Protective Services Caseworkers
Developed by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children's Bureau, Office on Child Abuse and Neglect
The Child Abuse and Neglect User Manual Series has provided guidance on child protection to hundreds of thousands of multidisciplinary professionals and concerned community members since the late 1970s. This manual, Supervising Child Protective Services Caseworkers, provides the foundation for effective supervisory practice in child protective services (CPS).
View the manual Supervising Child Protective Services Caseworkers here.
Back to Top
Michigan Committee on Juvenile Justice (MCJJ)
This committee's primary charge, as referenced in the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 2002 and the Governor's Executive Order No. 2003-9, is to provide advice and input on prevention and treatment of juvenile delinquency, administration of juvenile justice and the reduction of juvenile delinquency. To learn more about this committee, view the MCJJ website.
Michigan Child Welfare Law Journal
The Governor's Task Force on Children's Justice has provided funding for the publication of the Michigan Child Welfare Law Journal, published by Michigan State University's Chance at Childhood Program. The Journal publishes information useful to practitioners in the child welfare field, including attorneys, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists and other health care professionals. To view editions of the Journal, go to the publications page at the Chance at Childhood Web site .