MI HB6008

Requires the State Court Administrative Office to provide training to court personnel involved in child custody proceedings on recognizing domestic violence and child abuse, with focus on prioritizing child safety and well-being.

Mandates an initial 20-hour training for relevant court personnel, followed by 15-hour refresher trainings every 5 years thereafter.

Training must cover child sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, coercive control, implicit and explicit bias, trauma, impact of domestic violence on children, victim and perpetrator behavior patterns, and DARVO (deny, attack, reverse victim and offender).

Requires training to be provided by professionals with substantial experience assisting domestic violence or child abuse survivors and must be based only on evidence-based research.

Applies to judges, magistrates, guardians ad litem, custody evaluators, friend of the court facilitators and investigators, and referees involved in custody cases.