Glossary

Legal definitions of terms important to child abuse and neglect law can be confusing. The following list of definitions are as stated in the Child Protection Law.

"Child" means a person under 18 years of age.

"Child abuse" means harm or threatened harm to a child's health or welfare that occurs through nonacidental physical or mental injury, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, or maltreatment, by a parent, a legal guardian, or any other person responsible for the child's health or welfare or by a teacher, a teacher's aide, or a member of the clergy.

"Child care provider" means an owner, operator, employee, or volunteer of a child care organization or of an adult foster care location authorized to care for a child.

"Child care regulatory agency" means the department of consumer and industry services or a successor state department that is responsible for the licensing or registration of child care organizations or the licensing of adult foster care locations authorized to care for a child.

"Member of the clergy" means a priest, minister, rabbi, Christian Science practitioner, or other religious practitioner, or similar functionary of a church, temple, or recognized religious body, denomination, or organization.

"CPSI system" means the Child Protective Service Information system, which is an internal data system maintained within and by the department, and which is separate from the central registry.

"Department" means the Family Independence Agency.

"Director" means the director of the department.

"Nonparent adult" means a person who is 18 years of age or older and who, regardless of the person's domicile, meets all of the following criteria:

• (i) Has substantial and regular contact with the child.

• (ii) Has a close personal relationship with the child's parent or with a person responsible for the child's health or welfare. 

• (iii) Is not the child's parent or a person otherwise related to the child by blood or affinity to the third degree. 

"Person responsible for the child's health or welfare" means a parent, legal guardian, person 18 years of age or older who resides for any length of time in the same home in which the child resides, or, except when used in section 7(2)(e) or 8(8), nonparent adult; or an owner, operator, volunteer, or employee of any of the following:

• (i) A licensed or registered child care organization.

• (ii) A licensed or unlicensed adult foster care family home or adult foster care small group home.

"Preponderance of Evidence" ^*means evidence which is of greater weight or more convincing than evidence which is offered in opposition to it.  

"Sexual abuse" means engaging in sexual contact or sexual penetration with a child as defined by the Michigan Penal Code. 

"Substantiated" means a child protective services case classified as a central registry case. 

"Unsubstantiated" means a child protective services case the department classifies as a category III, IV, or V. 

^*Source: Michigan Family Independence Agency Children’s Protection Services Manual, Sections 711-4