Filing the Michigan DHS-3200: Sections, Submission, and Reporter Duties

Michigan’s DHS-3200 form is the written report of actual or suspected child abuse or neglect submitted to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. You can file it one of two ways: submit a referral through the Michigan Online Reporting System on MI Bridges, which counts as both the oral and the written report, or call Centralized Intake at 855-444-3911 first and then send the completed DHS-3200 within 72 hours.¹²

What to Gather Before You Start

The form asks for identifying details about up to five children, their primary caregiver, and the person you believe is responsible. You will also write a factual account of what you observed or learned. You do not need every field filled in. Incomplete reports are still accepted, but the more accurate detail you provide, the faster investigators can locate the child and act. If you do not know something, leave it blank rather than guess.

Useful items to have in front of you before you open the form:

The child’s full name, date of birth, and address, plus the same for any siblings in the home
The caregiver’s name, date of birth, relationship to the child, address, and phone number
Whatever you know about the suspected perpetrator and their relationship to the child
Dates, times, and locations tied to what you observed, along with specific statements the child made
Your own contact information and, if you called Centralized Intake first, the Intake Identification number the operator gave you

Filling Out the Seven Sections

Section 1: Intake Information

Enter the date you are completing the form. If you already phoned the report in, write the Intake Identification number you received on the call. If you have not called yet, the form directs you to contact Centralized Intake at 855-444-3911 right away.³ If you submit through the online system instead, you can skip the call; the online referral covers both requirements at once.¹

Section 2: Child Information

List up to five children you suspect are being abused or neglected. For each one, provide name, date of birth, Social Security number if known, sex at birth, gender identity, and race. If more than five children are involved, attach additional sheets.³

Section 3: Primary Caregiver Information

Enter the caregiver’s name, date of birth, relationship to the child, sex at birth, gender identity, race, ethnicity, phone number, and street address. The form has no field for a workplace, so stay with the home address and a phone number where the caregiver can be reached.³

Section 4: Alleged Perpetrator Information

If you know or suspect who is responsible, provide their name, date of birth, relationship to the child, and contact information. The fields mirror Section 3. Fill in what you know and leave the rest blank.

Section 5: Abuse or Neglect Information

This is the narrative part of the form. Record when the abuse or neglect occurred, the address where it happened or a description of the location if the address is unknown, and a detailed account of what you suspect took place. Include who was involved, what you observed, and how you came to know about it. Stay with facts: physical signs of harm, specific statements the child made, behavioral changes, conditions in the home. Describe what you saw rather than drawing conclusions like “the parent is abusive,” and let investigators judge from your observations.

Section 6: Reporting Source Information

Provide your own name, organization, phone number, and address. The form lists 37 numbered Reporting Source codes for different professions; select the one that matches yours. If a second reporter is involved, their information goes in the adjacent fields.³

Section 7: Medical Personnel Only

Complete this section only if a physical examination has been performed. Medical personnel summarize their findings, including lab and X-ray results, and classify the injuries on a scale from “concerning for physical abuse” to “diagnostic of physical abuse.” The section also asks whether the injuries are consistent with the caregiver’s explanation and whether hospitalization was required. A physician must sign and date it.

How to Submit the Completed Form

You have two paths, and the one you pick changes what else you have to do.

Online through MI Bridges. Mandated reporters can submit a referral through the Michigan Online Reporting System on the MI Bridges portal. A successful online submission counts as both the oral report and the written DHS-3200, so no separate phone call or paper form is needed.¹

Phone followed by written form. Call Centralized Intake at 855-444-3911 to make an oral report.⁴ The operator will give you an Intake Identification number. You then have 72 hours to complete and submit the DHS-3200 as a written follow-up.² Mail or fax the completed form to:

Centralized Intake for Abuse & Neglect
5321 28th Street Court S.E.
Grand Rapids, MI 49546

Fax: 616-977-8900, 616-977-8050, 616-977-1158, or 616-977-1154.⁵

For most mandated reporters, the online option is faster and removes the risk of missing the 72-hour deadline. The phone-then-paper route still fits situations where internet access is not available or when a child is in immediate danger and you want to speak with intake staff right away.

Who Is Legally Required to File

Michigan’s Child Protection Law lists dozens of professions whose members must report whenever they have reasonable cause to suspect a child is being abused or neglected. Reasonable cause does not mean certainty; it means a sensible belief based on what you observed or learned in your professional role. Mandated reporters include physicians, dentists, nurses, emergency medical personnel, psychologists, social workers, school administrators, teachers, school counselors, law enforcement officers, members of the clergy, marriage and family therapists, licensed professional counselors, athletic trainers, and regulated child care providers, among others.²

Any private citizen can also file the DHS-3200 voluntarily. The difference is legal exposure. A mandated reporter who knowingly fails to report faces criminal charges and civil liability; a member of the general public does not. If your work puts you in one of the listed professions, the duty attaches the moment you develop a reasonable suspicion, not when you have proof.

Protection, and the Penalties on Either Side

Michigan law presumes that a person who files a report acted in good faith. Federal law reinforces this: under 34 U.S.C. § 20342, anyone who makes a good faith report to appropriate authorities is shielded from civil liability and criminal prosecution under federal law, and courts presume good faith unless someone proves otherwise.⁶ In practical terms, you cannot be successfully sued for reporting honest concerns, even if the investigation ultimately finds no abuse.

A mandated reporter who knowingly fails to report commits a misdemeanor punishable by up to 93 days in jail, a fine of up to $500, or both, and is civilly liable for any harm caused by the failure.⁷

Filing a report you know to be false is also a crime, with the severity tied to the type of abuse alleged:⁷

If the abuse described would be a misdemeanor or no crime at all, the false reporter faces a misdemeanor with up to 93 days in jail, a fine of up to $100, or both.
If the abuse described would be a felony, the false reporter faces a felony punishable by whichever is less: the penalty for the abuse falsely alleged, or up to four years in prison and a $2,000 fine.

These penalties target people who fabricate allegations, for example during a custody dispute. A report that turns out to be unsubstantiated after investigation is not the same as a knowingly false report, and honest reporters keep their good-faith immunity.

What Happens After You File

Within 24 hours of receiving a report, MDHHS must either refer it to the prosecuting attorney and local law enforcement or begin its own investigation.⁸ A case manager is assigned and must make face-to-face contact with each alleged child victim within either 24 or 72 hours, depending on how the report is prioritized under MDHHS intake criteria.⁹

You generally will not receive detailed updates on the outcome; confidentiality rules limit what MDHHS can share. Keep a copy of your completed DHS-3200 along with any notes from the phone call, including the Intake ID number and the date and time you called. If you observe new incidents or learn additional information afterward, contact Centralized Intake again to supplement your original report rather than waiting to be contacted.

1
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Mandated Reporters
2
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 722.623 – Individual Required to Report Child Abuse or Neglect
3
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Form DHS-3200 – Report of Actual or Suspected Child Abuse or Neglect
4
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Abuse and Neglect – State of Michigan
5
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. DHS-3200 Report of Actual or Suspected Child Abuse or Neglect
6
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 34 USC 20342 – Federal Immunity
7
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 722.633 – Failure to Report Penalty
8
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 722.628 – Investigation Commencement
9
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. PSM 713-01 CPS Investigation