Mich. Comp. Laws » Michigan Compiled Laws / Chapter 712B / Act 288 of 1939
Michigan Compiled Laws

Mich. Comp. Laws § 712B.3 (2026)

Definitions.

✓ current as of July 2026
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PROBATE CODE OF 1939


Act 288 of 1939


712B.3 Definitions.

Sec. 3.

    As used in this chapter:

    (a) "Active efforts" means actions to provide remedial services and rehabilitative programs designed to prevent the breakup of the Indian family and to reunify the Indian child with the Indian family. Active efforts require more than a referral to a service without actively engaging the Indian child and family. Active efforts include reasonable efforts as required by title IV-E of the social security act, 42 USC 670 to 679c, and also include, but are not limited to, doing or addressing all of the following:

    (i) Engaging the Indian child, child's parents, tribe, extended family members, and individual Indian caregivers through the utilization of culturally appropriate services and in collaboration with the parent or child's Indian tribes and Indian social services agencies.

    (ii) Identifying appropriate services and helping the parents to overcome barriers to compliance with those services.

    (iii) Conducting or causing to be conducted a diligent search for extended family members for placement.

    (iv) Requesting representatives designated by the Indian child's tribe with substantial knowledge of the prevailing social and cultural standards and child rearing practice within the tribal community to evaluate the circumstances of the Indian child's family and to assist in developing a case plan that uses the resources of the Indian tribe and Indian community, including traditional and customary support, actions, and services, to address those circumstances.

    (v) Completing a comprehensive assessment of the situation of the Indian child's family, including a determination of the likelihood of protecting the Indian child's health, safety, and welfare effectively in the Indian child's home.

    (vi) Identifying, notifying, and inviting representatives of the Indian child's tribe to participate in all aspects of the Indian child custody proceeding at the earliest possible point in the proceeding and actively soliciting the tribe's advice throughout the proceeding.

    (vii) Notifying and consulting with extended family members of the Indian child, including extended family members who were identified by the Indian child's tribe or parents, to identify and to provide family structure and support for the Indian child, to assure cultural connections, and to serve as placement resources for the Indian child.

    (viii) Making arrangements to provide natural and family interaction in the most natural setting that can ensure the Indian child's safety, as appropriate to the goals of the Indian child's permanency plan, including, when requested by the tribe, arrangements for transportation and other assistance to enable family members to participate in that interaction.

    (ix) Offering and employing all available family preservation strategies and requesting the involvement of the Indian child's tribe to identify those strategies and to ensure that those strategies are culturally appropriate to the Indian child's tribe.

    (x) Identifying community resources offering housing, financial, and transportation assistance and in-home support services, in-home intensive treatment services, community support services, and specialized services for members of the Indian child's family with special needs, and providing information about those resources to the Indian child's family, and actively assisting the Indian child's family or offering active assistance in accessing those resources.

    (xi) Monitoring client progress and client participation in services.

    (xii) Providing a consideration of alternative ways of addressing the needs of the Indian child's family, if services do not exist or if existing services are not available to the family.

    (b) "Child custody proceeding" includes, but is not limited to, 1 or more of the following:

    (i) Foster care placement. Any action removing an Indian child from his or her parent or Indian custodian, and where the parent or Indian custodian cannot have the Indian child returned upon demand but parental rights have not been terminated, for temporary placement in, and not limited to, 1 or more of the following:

    (A) Foster home or institution.

    (B) The home of a guardian or limited guardian under part 2 of article V of the estates and protected individuals code, 1998 PA 386, MCL 700.5201 to 700.5219.

    (C) A juvenile guardianship under chapter XIIA.

    (ii) Termination of parental rights. Any action resulting in the termination of the parent-child relationship.

    (iii) Preadoptive placement. Temporary placement of an Indian child in a foster home or institution after the termination of parental rights, but before or in lieu of adoptive placement.

    (iv) Adoptive placement. Permanent placement of an Indian child for adoption, including an action resulting in a final decree of adoption.

    (v) An Indian child is charged with a status offense in violation of section 2(a)(2) to (4) or (d) of chapter XIIA.

    (vi) Child custody proceeding does not include a placement based on an act that, if committed by an adult, would be a crime or based on an award, in a divorce proceeding, of custody to 1 of the parents.

    (c) "Court" means the family division of circuit court or the probate court.

    (d) "Culturally appropriate services" means services that enhance an Indian child's and family's relationship to, identification, and connection with the Indian child's tribe. Culturally appropriate services should provide the opportunity to practice the teachings, beliefs, customs, and ceremonies of the Indian child's tribe so those may be incorporated into the Indian child's daily life, as well as services that address the issues that have brought the Indian child and family to the attention of the department that are consistent with the tribe's beliefs about child rearing, child development, and family wellness. Culturally appropriate services may involve tribal representatives, extended family members, tribal elders, spiritual and cultural advisors, tribal social services, individual Indian caregivers, medicine men or women, and natural healers. If the Indian child's tribe establishes a different definition of culturally appropriate services, the court shall follow the tribe's definition.

    (e) "Department" means the department of health and human services or a successor department or agency.

    (f) "Extended family members" means that term as defined by the law or custom of the Indian child's tribe or, in the absence of that law or custom, means a person who has reached the age of 18 and who is the Indian child's grandparent, aunt or uncle, brother or sister, brother-in-law or sister-in-law, niece or nephew, first or second cousin, or stepparent and includes the term "relative" as that term is defined in section 13a(j) of chapter XIIA.

    (g) "Foster home or institution" means a child caring institution as that term is defined in section 1 of 1973 PA 116, MCL 722.111.

    (h) "Guardian" means a person who has qualified as a guardian of a minor under a parental or spousal nomination or a court order issued under section 19a or 19c of chapter XIIA, section 5204 or 5205 of the estates and protected individuals code, 1998 PA 386, MCL 700.5204 and 700.5205, or sections 600 to 644 of the mental health code, 1974 PA 258, MCL 330.1600 to 330.1644. Guardian may also include a person appointed by a tribal court under tribal code or custom. Guardian does not include a guardian ad litem.

    (i) "Guardian ad litem" means an individual whom the court appoints to assist the court in determining the child's best interests. A guardian ad litem does not need to be an attorney.

    (j) "Indian" means any member of any Indian tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community of Indians recognized as eligible for the services provided to Indians by the secretary because of their status as Indians, including any Alaska native village as defined in section 1602(c) of the Alaska native claims settlement act, 43 USC 1602.

    (k) "Indian child" means an unmarried person who is under the age of 18 and is either of the following:

    (i) A member of an Indian tribe.

    (ii) Eligible for membership in an Indian tribe as determined by that Indian tribe.

    (l) "Indian child's tribe" means the Indian tribe in which an Indian child is a member or eligible for membership. In the case of an Indian child who is a member of or eligible for membership in more than 1 tribe, the Indian child's tribe is the tribe with which the Indian child has the most significant contacts.

    (m) "Indian child welfare act" means the Indian child welfare act of 1978, 25 USC 1901 to 1963.

    (n) "Indian custodian" means any Indian person who has custody of an Indian child under tribal law or custom or under state law or to whom temporary physical care, custody, and control have been transferred by the Indian child's parent.

    (o) "Indian tribe" or "tribe" means any Indian tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community of Indians recognized as eligible for the services provided to Indians by the secretary because of their status as Indians, including any Alaska native village as defined in section 1602(c) of the Alaska native claims settlement act, 43 USC 1602.

    (p) "Indian organization" means any group, association, partnership, corporation, or other legal entity owned or controlled by Indians, or a majority of whose members are Indians.

    (q) "Lawyer-guardian ad litem" means an attorney appointed under section 21 of this chapter. A lawyer-guardian ad litem represents the child, and has the powers and duties, as set forth in section 17d of chapter XIIA. The provisions of section 17d of chapter XIIA also apply to a lawyer-guardian ad litem appointed for the purposes of this chapter under each of the following:

    (i) Section 5213 or 5219 of the estates and protected individuals code, 1998 PA 386, MCL 700.5213 and 700.5219.

    (ii) Section 4 of the child custody act of 1970, 1970 PA 91, MCL 722.24.

    (iii) Section 10 of the child protection law, 1975 PA 238, MCL 722.630.

    (r) "Official tribal representative" means an individual who is designated by the Indian child's tribe to represent the tribe in a court overseeing a child custody proceeding. An official tribal representative does not need to be an attorney.

    (s) "Parent" means any biological parent or parents of an Indian child or any person who has lawfully adopted an Indian child, including adoptions under tribal law or custom. Parent does not include the putative father if paternity has not been acknowledged or established.

    (t) "Reservation" means Indian country as defined in 18 USC 1151 and any lands, not covered under that section, title to which is either held by the United States in trust for the benefit of any Indian tribe or individual or held by any Indian tribe or individual subject to a restriction by the United States against alienation.

    (u) "Secretary" means the Secretary of the Interior.

    (v) "Tribal court" means a court with jurisdiction over child custody proceedings that is either a court of Indian offenses, a court established and operated under the code or custom of an Indian tribe, or any other administrative body of a tribe that is vested with authority over child custody proceedings.

    (w) "Ward of tribal court" means a child over whom an Indian tribe exercises authority by official action in tribal court or by the governing body of the tribe.

History: Add. 2012, Act 565, Imd. Eff. Jan. 2, 2013 ;-- Am. 2016, Act 26, Eff. May 30, 2016

PopularName Notes:

Probate Code
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 44 cases (19 in the last 5 years), 2014–2026 · leading case: In re Beers, 926 N.W.2d 832 (Mich. Ct. App. 2018).
Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment
In re Beers, 926 N.W.2d 832 (Mich. Ct. App. 2018). · cites it 10× “17, that parental rights should be terminated because continued custody of the child by the parent or Indian custodian will likely result in serious emotional or physical damage to the child.”
In re Jones, 894 N.W.2d 54 (Mich. Ct. App. 2016). · cites it 7× “The definitions section of the MIFPA, MCL 712B.3, was amended by 2016 PA 26 , effective May 30,2016; however, that amendment did not substantively alter any of the statutory definitions discussed in this appellate opinion, assuming the amendment is even generally applicable to…”
In re England, 887 N.W.2d 10 (Mich. Ct. App. 2016). · cites it 2× “Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians (the Tribe) and is thus an Indian child, such that the various procedural and substantive provisions of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), 25 USC 1901 et seq.”
In re McCarrick, 861 N.W.2d 303 (Mich. Ct. App. 2014). · cites it 2× “Finally, McCarrick contends that the evidence was insufficient to support the trial court’s active-efforts finding because no one testified regarding each element of the active-efforts definition as set forth in MCL 712B.3(a). That statute defines active efforts through a list…”
In re Detmer/Beaudry, 910 N.W.2d 318 (Mich. Ct. App. 2017). “STATUTORY PROTECTION OF NATIVE AMERICAN FAMILIES Respondent-mother, AB, and KD are eligible for membership in the Tribe, and both AB and KD are Native American children.”
In re KMN, 870 N.W.2d 75 (Mich. Ct. App. 2015). “Under MIFPA, MCL 712B.3(k) provides: “Indian child” means an unmarried person who is under the age of 18 and is either of the following: if) A member of an Indian tribe.”
in Re beers/lebeau-beers Minors (Mich. Ct. App. 2018). · cites it 10× “002 includes, in part, the definitions taken from MCL 712B.3, thereby reiterating that a “parent” is “any biological parent .”
in Re beers/lebeau-beers Minors (Mich. Ct. App. 2018). · cites it 10× “002 includes, in part, the definitions taken from MCL 712B.3, thereby reiterating that a “parent” is “any biological parent .”
in Re jones/lehmann Minors (Mich. Ct. App. 2016). · cites it 5× “The definitional section of the MIFPA, MCL 712B.3, was amended pursuant to 2016 PA 26 and made effective May 30, 2016; however, that amendment did not substantively alter any of the statutory definitions discussed in this appellate opinion, assuming the amendment is even…”
In Re W Metcalf Minor (Mich. Ct. App. 2025). · cites it 4× “DHHS’s investigation in this case necessarily involved numerous factors under MCL 712B.3. Despite the short time frame, DHHS, during its investigation, among other things: (1) established verbal and written safety plans placing WM with her maternal grandmother; (2) interviewed…”
in Re Williams Minors (Mich. Ct. App. 2017). · cites it 3× “See 25 USC 1903(4) and MCL 712B.3(k). We affirm the Macomb Circuit Court’s order denying respondent father’s motion to withdraw consent to terminate his parental rights and for return of the children because he does not have a right to withdraw his consent under MIFPA,…”
in Re S C Dunlap-Bates Minor (Mich. Ct. App. 2021). · cites it 3× “” MCL 712B.3(a); MCR 3.002(1). “Active efforts require more than a referral to a service without actively engaging the Indian child and family.”
Show all 44 citing cases →
— Mich. Comp. Laws § 712B.3(a) — 15 cases
In re Beers, 926 N.W.2d 832 (Mich. Ct. App. 2018). “17, that parental rights should be terminated because continued custody of the child by the parent or Indian custodian will likely result in serious emotional or physical damage to the child.”
In re McCarrick, 861 N.W.2d 303 (Mich. Ct. App. 2014). “Finally, McCarrick contends that the evidence was insufficient to support the trial court’s active-efforts finding because no one testified regarding each element of the active-efforts definition as set forth in MCL 712B.3(a). That statute defines active efforts through a list…”
in Re beers/lebeau-beers Minors (Mich. Ct. App. 2018). “002 includes, in part, the definitions taken from MCL 712B.3, thereby reiterating that a “parent” is “any biological parent .”
in Re beers/lebeau-beers Minors (Mich. Ct. App. 2018). “002 includes, in part, the definitions taken from MCL 712B.3, thereby reiterating that a “parent” is “any biological parent .”
in Re S C Dunlap-Bates Minor (Mich. Ct. App. 2021). “” MCL 712B.3(a); MCR 3.002(1). “Active efforts require more than a referral to a service without actively engaging the Indian child and family.”
— Mich. Comp. Laws § 712B.3(a)(i) — 3 cases
in Re beers/lebeau-beers Minors (Mich. Ct. App. 2018). “002 includes, in part, the definitions taken from MCL 712B.3, thereby reiterating that a “parent” is “any biological parent .”
in Re beers/lebeau-beers Minors (Mich. Ct. App. 2018). “002 includes, in part, the definitions taken from MCL 712B.3, thereby reiterating that a “parent” is “any biological parent .”
in Re D R Wolf Minor (Mich. Ct. App. 2018).
— Mich. Comp. Laws § 712B.3(a)(iii) — 1 case
D in Re peters/brinton/mathews Minors (Mich. Ct. App. 2024).
— Mich. Comp. Laws § 712B.3(a)(viii) — 1 case
in Re S C Dunlap-Bates Minor (Mich. Ct. App. 2021). “” MCL 712B.3(a); MCR 3.002(1). “Active efforts require more than a referral to a service without actively engaging the Indian child and family.”
— Mich. Comp. Laws § 712B.3(b) — 2 cases
In re Jones, 894 N.W.2d 54 (Mich. Ct. App. 2016). “The definitions section of the MIFPA, MCL 712B.3, was amended by 2016 PA 26 , effective May 30,2016; however, that amendment did not substantively alter any of the statutory definitions discussed in this appellate opinion, assuming the amendment is even generally applicable to…”
In Re Burger Minors (Mich. Ct. App. 2023).
— Mich. Comp. Laws § 712B.3(b)(i) — 1 case
in Re jones/lehmann Minors (Mich. Ct. App. 2016). “The definitional section of the MIFPA, MCL 712B.3, was amended pursuant to 2016 PA 26 and made effective May 30, 2016; however, that amendment did not substantively alter any of the statutory definitions discussed in this appellate opinion, assuming the amendment is even…”
— Mich. Comp. Laws § 712B.3(b)(ii) — 1 case
in Re jones/lehmann Minors (Mich. Ct. App. 2016). “The definitional section of the MIFPA, MCL 712B.3, was amended pursuant to 2016 PA 26 and made effective May 30, 2016; however, that amendment did not substantively alter any of the statutory definitions discussed in this appellate opinion, assuming the amendment is even…”
— Mich. Comp. Laws § 712B.3(b)(ü) — 1 case
In re Jones, 894 N.W.2d 54 (Mich. Ct. App. 2016). “The definitions section of the MIFPA, MCL 712B.3, was amended by 2016 PA 26 , effective May 30,2016; however, that amendment did not substantively alter any of the statutory definitions discussed in this appellate opinion, assuming the amendment is even generally applicable to…”
— Mich. Comp. Laws § 712B.3(e) — 1 case
In re Jones, 894 N.W.2d 54 (Mich. Ct. App. 2016). “The definitions section of the MIFPA, MCL 712B.3, was amended by 2016 PA 26 , effective May 30,2016; however, that amendment did not substantively alter any of the statutory definitions discussed in this appellate opinion, assuming the amendment is even generally applicable to…”
— Mich. Comp. Laws § 712B.3(k) — 21 cases
In re England, 887 N.W.2d 10 (Mich. Ct. App. 2016). “Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians (the Tribe) and is thus an Indian child, such that the various procedural and substantive provisions of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), 25 USC 1901 et seq.”
In re Detmer/Beaudry, 910 N.W.2d 318 (Mich. Ct. App. 2017). “STATUTORY PROTECTION OF NATIVE AMERICAN FAMILIES Respondent-mother, AB, and KD are eligible for membership in the Tribe, and both AB and KD are Native American children.”
In re Jones, 894 N.W.2d 54 (Mich. Ct. App. 2016). “The definitions section of the MIFPA, MCL 712B.3, was amended by 2016 PA 26 , effective May 30,2016; however, that amendment did not substantively alter any of the statutory definitions discussed in this appellate opinion, assuming the amendment is even generally applicable to…”
In re KMN, 870 N.W.2d 75 (Mich. Ct. App. 2015). “Under MIFPA, MCL 712B.3(k) provides: “Indian child” means an unmarried person who is under the age of 18 and is either of the following: if) A member of an Indian tribe.”
In Re M Ahanu Minor (Mich. Ct. App. 2025).
— Mich. Comp. Laws § 712B.3(k)(ii) — 6 cases
In re England, 887 N.W.2d 10 (Mich. Ct. App. 2016). “Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians (the Tribe) and is thus an Indian child, such that the various procedural and substantive provisions of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), 25 USC 1901 et seq.”
in Re E M England Minor (Mich. Ct. App. 2016).
in Re C Applewhiate Jr Minor (Mich. Ct. App. 2017).
in Re Hodge Minors (Mich. Ct. App. 2018).
in Re Hodge Minors (Mich. Ct. App. 2018).
— Mich. Comp. Laws § 712B.3(l) — 1 case
Agnes N Cramer v. Transitional Health Servs. of Wayne (Mich. 2023).
— Mich. Comp. Laws § 712B.3(n) — 1 case
in Re Williams Minors (Mich. Ct. App. 2017). “See 25 USC 1903(4) and MCL 712B.3(k). We affirm the Macomb Circuit Court’s order denying respondent father’s motion to withdraw consent to terminate his parental rights and for return of the children because he does not have a right to withdraw his consent under MIFPA,…”
— Mich. Comp. Laws § 712B.3(o) — 2 cases
In Re L a Ledee Minor (Mich. Ct. App. 2026).
in Re Williams Minors (Mich. Ct. App. 2017). “See 25 USC 1903(4) and MCL 712B.3(k). We affirm the Macomb Circuit Court’s order denying respondent father’s motion to withdraw consent to terminate his parental rights and for return of the children because he does not have a right to withdraw his consent under MIFPA,…”
— Mich. Comp. Laws § 712B.3(s) — 3 cases
In re Beers, 926 N.W.2d 832 (Mich. Ct. App. 2018). “17, that parental rights should be terminated because continued custody of the child by the parent or Indian custodian will likely result in serious emotional or physical damage to the child.”
in Re beers/lebeau-beers Minors (Mich. Ct. App. 2018). “002 includes, in part, the definitions taken from MCL 712B.3, thereby reiterating that a “parent” is “any biological parent .”
in Re beers/lebeau-beers Minors (Mich. Ct. App. 2018). “002 includes, in part, the definitions taken from MCL 712B.3, thereby reiterating that a “parent” is “any biological parent .”
— Mich. Comp. Laws § 712B.3(u) — 2 cases
In re Jones, 894 N.W.2d 54 (Mich. Ct. App. 2016). “The definitions section of the MIFPA, MCL 712B.3, was amended by 2016 PA 26 , effective May 30,2016; however, that amendment did not substantively alter any of the statutory definitions discussed in this appellate opinion, assuming the amendment is even generally applicable to…”
in Re jones/lehmann Minors (Mich. Ct. App. 2016). “The definitional section of the MIFPA, MCL 712B.3, was amended pursuant to 2016 PA 26 and made effective May 30, 2016; however, that amendment did not substantively alter any of the statutory definitions discussed in this appellate opinion, assuming the amendment is even…”
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