The Child Protection Law, MCL 722.621 et seq, governs reporting and investigating suspected child abuse and child neglect, and provides for or requires the filing of petitions to initiate child protective proceedings under the Juvenile Code, MCL 712A.1 et seq.2Under the Child Protection Law, a child is “an individual under 18 years of age.” MCL 722.622(f).
The Children’s Protective Services (CPS) program is responsible for investigating allegations of child abuse and neglect.
False allegation of child abuse can arise from a number of circumstances.
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In some cases, a mandatory reporter such as teacher or paediatrician may notice injuries that he or she believes are consistent with abuse. By reporting those injuries to authorities, they are kicking off an intensive legal investigation that will affect everyone involved, even though the injuries could have a host of innocuous origins.
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Sadly, it is not unheard of for a person involved in a divorce or child custody dispute to level false accusations to gain a legal advantage.
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Sometimes, children themselves will level false accusations to strike out in anger at a parent
