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Access CPS Information

Access CPS Information

Children's Protective Services (CPS) program is responsible for investigating allegations of child abuse and neglect under the Child Protection Law.

Many people contact the Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) with questions about confidential Children’s Protective Services (CPS) investigations of alleged child abuse or neglect.

You cannot directly access confidential CPS case information through the OCA.

To access specific, confidential CPS records, you must submit a request directly to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

The individuals listed below may request a copy of the confidential CPS records from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services:

  • A parent or legal guardian.
  • An adult who resides in a child’s home.
  • A person suspected of abusing or neglecting a child.
  • A doctor treating a child suspected of being abused or neglected.

Information may be redacted

Even if an individual is entitled to receive a copy of the confidential CPS records, some information contained in the records may be redacted. The information that will be redacted includes (but is not limited to):

  • The identity of the person who complained to CPS about suspected child abuse or neglect.
  • Information describing an ongoing criminal investigation.
  • Medical and mental health treatment information.
  • Domestic violence information.
  • Substance abuse treatment information.

Reporting Abuse or Neglect

Reports of child abuse or child neglect can be made by calling
855-444-3911 or by calling 911.

CPS can investigate reports of Abuse or Neglect only if the following criteria are met: 

  • alleged victim is under 18
  • alleged perpetrator is a parent, legal guardian, or responsible for the health and welfare of the child
  • allegations minimally meet the child abuse or neglect definitions in the Child Protection Law

For additional information regarding the CPS, visit the Children's Protective Services site.

Defining Child Abuse and Neglect

  • Child Abuse

    The MDHHS defines Child Abuse as:

    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.

  • Neglect

    The MDHHS defines Child Neglect as:

    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

    • 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.
    • Placing a child at an unreasonable risk to the child's health or welfare by failure of the parent, legal guardian, or other person responsible for the child's health or welfare to intervene to eliminate that risk when that person is able to do so and has, or should have, knowledge of the risk.