Anyone, including a child, who suspects child abuse or neglect, can make a report by calling 855-444-3911.
In addition, the Child Protection Law requires certain professionals to report suspected child abuse or neglect. These professionals are called Mandated Reporters.
Identifying Child Abuse & Neglect
Below are some of the commonly accepted physical and behavioral indicators of abuse and/or neglect. Please note that the physical and behavioral indicators listed are not the only indicators of child abuse and neglect and if present, do not always mean a child is being abused or neglected.
Physical Neglect - Physical Indicators
- Unattended medical needs.
- Lack of supervision.
- Regular signs of hunger, inappropriate dress, poor hygiene.
- Distended stomach, emaciated.
- Significant weight change.
Physical Neglect - Behavioral Indicators
- Regularly displays fatigue or listlessness, falls asleep in class.
- Steals/hoards food, begs from classmates.
- Reports that no caretaker is at home.
Physical Abuse - Physical Indicators
- Unexplained bruises (in various stages of healing), welts, loop marks.
- Adult/human bite marks.
- Bald spots or missing clumps of hair.
- Unexplained burns/scalds.
- Unexplained fractures, skin lacerations/punctures or abrasions.
- Swollen lips/chipped teeth.
- Linear/parallel marks on cheeks and temple area.
- Crescent-shaped bruising.
- Puncture wounds.
- Bruising behind the ears.
Physical Abuse - Behavioral Indicators
- Self-destructive/self-mutilation.
- Withdrawn and/or aggressive-behavior extremes.
- Uncomfortable/skittish with physical contact.
- Arrives at school late or stays late as if afraid to be at home.
- Chronic runaway (adolescents).
- Complains of soreness or moves uncomfortably.
- Wears clothing inappropriate to weather, to cover body.
- Lack of impulse control (e.g. inappropriate outbursts).
Sexual Abuse - Physical indicators
- Pain or itching in genital area.
- Bruises or bleeding in genital area.
- Sexually transmitted disease.
- Frequent urinary or yeast infections.
- Extreme or sudden weight change.
- Pregnancy under 12 years of age.
Sexual Abuse - Behavioral Indicators
- Withdrawal, chronic depression.
- Sexual behaviors or references that are unusual for the child's age.
- Seductive or promiscuous behavior.
- Poor self-esteem, self-devaluation, lack of confidence.
- Suicide attempts (especially adolescents).
- Hysteria, lack of emotional control.
The Process
Reports of suspected child abuse or neglect will either be:
- Assigned for investigation, rejected; or transferred to another agency for investigation, such as law enforcement or the Bureau of Child and Adult Licensing.
Reports must meet the following three criteria to be assigned for investigation:
- The alleged victim is under 18 years of age.
- The alleged perpetrator is a parent, legal guardian or other person responsible for the child's health and welfare.
- The allegations minimally meet the child abuse and neglect definitions in the Child Protection Law.
This information was provided by the michigan.gov website. Please visit their site for more information.