Michigan Foster Care Abuse Lawyer

Children are placed in foster homes, group homes, and residential facilities to keep them safe. When a child is instead abused or neglected in that placement, the agencies and facilities responsible for screening, placing, and monitoring can be held accountable for the failures that allowed it.

What these matters can involve

• Abuse or neglect by a foster parent, facility staff member, or another resident.
• Negligent licensing, screening, or placement, or a failure to monitor a child's safety after placement.
• Private placement agencies and residential facilities that failed to act on known risks or prior complaints.

These are institutional abuse matters, and they often turn on placement records, complaint history, and whether the agency or facility followed the rules meant to protect children.

Who runs Michigan's foster system — and who answers for it

Foster care in Michigan runs through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, which places children both directly and through private child-placing agencies, and whose Division of Child Welfare Licensing licenses foster homes, group homes, and child-caring institutions. Every layer generates records — licensing files, complaint histories, placement and monitoring notes — and those records are often where a civil case is won or lost. A private placement agency that failed to screen, place, or supervise properly can be held accountable alongside the individuals involved, and claims against the state itself face separate immunity and filing rules. For covered personal-injury claims against the state, MCL 600.6431(4) generally requires a claim or qualifying notice in the Court of Claims within six months after the event giving rise to the claim. The proper defendant and any exceptions require individual review.

Where you can report and get help today

• Abuse or neglect of a child in any placement: MDHHS Centralized Intake at 855-444-3911, answered around the clock, every day.
• Licensing complaints about a foster home, group home, or child-caring institution: the MDHHS Division of Child Welfare Licensing accepts complaints online and by email.
• Concerns about how CPS or a foster-care agency handled a child's case: the Office of the Child Advocate — the state's independent review office, formerly the Office of Children's Ombudsman — at 517-241-0400.

Our guide to Michigan survivor rights and reporting resources explains each channel, including support lines and compensation for survivors.

Whether you are an adult survivor of the foster system or a family concerned about a child now, we approach these conversations with care and discretion. Reach out to talk confidentially.