CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES QUARTERLY REPORT
House Bill 4709 as referred to second committee
Sponsor: Rep. David LaGrand
1st Committee: Families, Children and Seniors
2nd Committee: Judiciary
Complete to 12-1-19
SUMMARY:
House Bill 4709 would add section 9b to the Child Protection Law (CPL) to require the agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) responsible for administering and providing services under the act to make a comprehensive quarterly report to the chairs of the standing House and Senate Oversight Committees by every January 31, April 30, July 31, and October 31.
The report would have to include data from Child Protective Services investigatory staff to provide a measurement for each of the following:
· Was the investigation started within 24 hours after receiving a report?
· Was a central registry review or clearance performed for all individuals?
· Was a face-to-face contact made within the established time frame required by DHHS?
· Was a sibling placement evaluation completed when one or more children remained in the home after a child had been removed?
· Were the family needs and strengths assessments completed?
· Was the supervisory review performed in a timely manner?
· How many child protective services investigators were concerned for their own personal safety?
· How many investigators used the mobile application or other tools to document compliance?
The data included in the report would have to be from the most recent 30-day period before the report was submitted.
Proposed MCL 722.629b
BACKGROUND:
The Office of the Auditor General (OAG) released its performance audit report on Children’s Protective Services (CPS) investigations in September 2018.[1] The audit report contains findings or observations concerning all of the topics that would be measured for the quarterly report proposed by House Bill 4709.
FISCAL IMPACT:
House Bill 4709 would increase costs for DHHS by a minimal amount. Any increased costs would be dependent upon any additional administrative costs to produce the required quarterly reports. The bill would have no fiscal impact on local units of government.
POSITIONS:
Representatives of the following entities testified with no position on the bill (9-4-19):
Office of the Auditor General
Office of Children’s Ombudsman
Department of Health and Human Services
Fiscal Analyst: Viola Bay Wild
■ This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.