The report details 23 ways CPS is failing.
LANSING – Child Protective Services investigators are not conducting their work in a timely or proper manner, according to a report released Thursday by the Office of the Auditor General.
This can lead to children not receiving proper medical treatment or not being placed in a safe environment quickly enough, according to the report.
The report details multiple findings about problems within CPS, which is housed in the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
For instance, CPS workers did not assess the risk of future harm properly in over 35 percent of the cases, didn’t refer cases to county prosecutors in 50 percent of the cases and did not provide required medical examinations for children in 15 percent of the cases.
These are three allegations from a list of 23 findings. MDHHS has submitted initial responses to the auditor’s findings.
“MDHHS takes the findings of this audit very seriously,” spokesman Bob Wheaton said. “While the department does not agree with all findings, MDHHS agrees that Children’s Protective Services can and must improve. The department shares the concern that the Office of Auditor General has for protecting Michigan children from abuse and neglect. This is a top priority.”
CPS investigators completed approximately 206,000 investigations between May 1,2014 and July 31,2016 and determined that a preponderance of evidence of child abuse or neglect existed in 26 percent of their investigations, according to the report.
The OAG reviewed the cases and came up with these additional findings. The list is not comprehensive:
Read the full report.
The report also determined that the majority of the CPS workers fear for their safety. Twenty-five percent of investigators report fearing for their physical safety half the time of more while conducting CPS investigations, according to the report.
Auditors also determined that there is no centralized oversight at CPS to make sure that standards are consistent county to county.
Gov. Rick Snyder said he is putting his senior advisor, Rich Baird, in charge of fixing CPS.
“We take the results of every department audit seriously, but especially those involving programs designed to protect our most vulnerable populations,” Snyder said in a statement.
“The findings in the Child Protective Services audit are unacceptable and we must do more to accelerate the needed corrective actions. While it is encouraging to see the Department of Health and Human Services working to correct many of the audit findings, we must do more and quickly.”
