All complaints begin with a preliminary review of a complaint or request for advocacy. During this stage, the Child Advocate determines whether a full investigation is needed. If so, the OCA conducts an independent investigation into the concerns raised.
The OCA also investigates certain child death cases. A review is required when a child dies and, within the previous two years, there was:
The OCA must also review the actions of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) when a child dies in foster care, unless the death resulted from natural causes and there were no prior CPS or licensing complaints involving the foster home.
When an investigation is complete, the Child Advocate may provide recommendations to the Governor, the Legislature, and the MDHHS Director. These recommendations are issued when the Child Advocate believes they will help improve Michigan’s child welfare system.
Complainants may receive a letter from the OCA notifying them of actions taken, or decisions made. Complainants are generally notified when a case is closed after a preliminary investigation or after a full investigation are completed. Complainants may not receive a case report, unless that report is published by the OCA for the public.
The OCA also provides information and guidance for families involved in Michigan’s child welfare system. Intake staff can explain system processes and help connect callers with appropriate resources.
Requests for help from the OCA are sent to the Intake Team. This is done by concerned parties through our online application or by phone.
The Intake team does the first review of the request and contacts the complainant within 10 business days of receiving the complaint.
When a child dies and abuse or neglect is suspected, the OCA receives a notification and must do a preliminary investigation.
The Intake unit will review the request and see if the rules allow the OCA to do a full investigation. If the OCA can’t investigate, they will try to find helpful information or provide mediation.
The preliminary investigation is generally completed within 30 business days of receiving the complaint.
The OCA Investigators will look at all the evidence of a case and talk to people involved. They will decide if they think a rule or policy was broken. After they finish their investigation, they work with the Child Advocate to determine next steps.
A full investigation is normally completed within 180 days on complaint cases, or 240 days on death cases. Some circumstances will require investigations to go beyond those timeframes.
After the investigation is finished, the Child Advocate will decide how to close it. They might share the results publicly and suggest ways for the agency to improve the child welfare system. They might find an informal way to fix the problem. Each investigation will have its own outcome.
The OCA employs a multidisciplinary team of analysts, administrators, investigators, and support staff. Our team brings diverse professional experience to support children and families across Michigan.
The OCA makes recommendations to improve policies, procedures, and legislation by independently reviewing the actions of the MDHHS, child‑placing agencies, and child‑caring institutions.
