1.2Purpose of Child Protective Proceeding

“‘Child protective proceedings are not criminal proceedings,’ and unlike criminal proceedings, the ‘purpose of child protective proceedings is the protection of the child’ rather than to determine a defendant’s guilt or innocence. ‘The juvenile code[, which governs child protective proceedings,] is intended to protect children from unfit homes rather than to punish their parents.’” In re Richardson, 329 Mich App 232, 254 (2019), quoting In re Brock, 442 Mich 101, 107-108 (1993). “[P]roceedings may be initiated by anyone who has information that a child is in need of the court’s protection.^[1] To maximize protection of the child, and at the same time safeguard the interests of parents whose children are the subject of a petition, the court rules provide for expedited proceedings. The [trial] court’s protective function is also promoted by procedure which allows for a rehearing or a new trial whenever new evidence comes to light suggesting that the child needs court protection.”² People v Gates, 434 Mich 146, 161-162 (1990) (protective proceedings distinguished from criminal proceedings).