diff --git a/dot/digest/block_import.go b/dot/digest/block_import.go
index 4084c345d1..2382a754c4 100644
--- a/dot/digest/block_import.go
+++ b/dot/digest/block_import.go
@@ -24,8 +24,7 @@ func NewBlockImportHandler(epochState EpochState, grandpaState GrandpaState) *Bl
 
 // HandleDigests handles consensus digests for an imported block
 func (h *BlockImportHandler) HandleDigests(header *types.Header) error {
-	consensusDigests := toConsensusDigests(header.Digest)
-	consensusDigests, err := checkForGRANDPAForcedChanges(consensusDigests)
+	consensusDigests, err := types.FilterGRANDPAForcedChanges(header.Digest.ToConsensusDigests())
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed while checking GRANDPA digests: %w", err)
 	}
@@ -74,65 +73,3 @@ func (h *BlockImportHandler) handleConsensusDigest(d *types.ConsensusDigest, hea
 
 	return nil
 }
-
-// toConsensusDigests converts a slice of scale.VaryingDataType to a slice of types.ConsensusDigest.
-func toConsensusDigests(scaleVaryingTypes types.Digest) []types.ConsensusDigest {
-	consensusDigests := make([]types.ConsensusDigest, 0, len(scaleVaryingTypes))
-
-	for _, d := range scaleVaryingTypes {
-		digestValue, err := d.Value()
-		if err != nil {
-			logger.Error(err.Error())
-			continue
-		}
-		digest, ok := digestValue.(types.ConsensusDigest)
-		if !ok {
-			continue
-		}
-
-		switch digest.ConsensusEngineID {
-		case types.GrandpaEngineID, types.BabeEngineID:
-			consensusDigests = append(consensusDigests, digest)
-		}
-	}
-
-	return consensusDigests
-}
-
-// checkForGRANDPAForcedChanges removes any GrandpaScheduledChange in the presence of a
-// GrandpaForcedChange in the same block digest, returning a new slice of types.ConsensusDigest
-func checkForGRANDPAForcedChanges(digests []types.ConsensusDigest) ([]types.ConsensusDigest, error) {
-	var hasForcedChange bool
-	digestsWithoutScheduled := make([]types.ConsensusDigest, 0, len(digests))
-	for i, digest := range digests {
-		if digest.ConsensusEngineID != types.GrandpaEngineID {
-			digestsWithoutScheduled = append(digestsWithoutScheduled, digest)
-			continue
-		}
-
-		data := types.NewGrandpaConsensusDigest()
-		err := scale.Unmarshal(digest.Data, &data)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("cannot unmarshal GRANDPA consensus digest: %w", err)
-		}
-
-		dataValue, err := data.Value()
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("getting value of digest type at index %d: %w", i, err)
-		}
-		switch dataValue.(type) {
-		case types.GrandpaScheduledChange:
-		case types.GrandpaForcedChange:
-			hasForcedChange = true
-			digestsWithoutScheduled = append(digestsWithoutScheduled, digest)
-		default:
-			digestsWithoutScheduled = append(digestsWithoutScheduled, digest)
-		}
-	}
-
-	if hasForcedChange {
-		return digestsWithoutScheduled, nil
-	}
-
-	return digests, nil
-}
diff --git a/dot/sync/block_importer.go b/dot/sync/block_importer.go
index c5ae40b8e0..f00b9316d5 100644
--- a/dot/sync/block_importer.go
+++ b/dot/sync/block_importer.go
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/ChainSafe/gossamer/internal/database"
 	"github.com/ChainSafe/gossamer/lib/common"
 	rtstorage "github.com/ChainSafe/gossamer/lib/runtime/storage"
+	"github.com/ChainSafe/gossamer/pkg/scale"
 	"github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus"
 	"github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus/promauto"
 )
@@ -54,6 +55,7 @@ type (
 
 	// GrandpaState is the interface for the state.GrandpaState
 	GrandpaState interface {
+		HandleGRANDPADigest(header *types.Header, digest types.GrandpaConsensusDigest) error
 		ApplyForcedChanges(importedHeader *types.Header) error
 	}
 
@@ -106,6 +108,36 @@ func (b *blockImporter) importBlock(bd *types.BlockData, origin BlockOrigin) (im
 	return true, nil
 }
 
+func (b *blockImporter) checkAndApplyForcedAuthChanges(blockData types.BlockData) error {
+	header := blockData.Header
+	consensusDigests, err := types.FilterGRANDPAForcedChanges(header.Digest.ToConsensusDigests())
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed while checking GRANDPA digests: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	for i := range consensusDigests {
+		digest := consensusDigests[i]
+		switch digest.ConsensusEngineID {
+		case types.GrandpaEngineID:
+			data := types.NewGrandpaConsensusDigest()
+			err := scale.Unmarshal(digest.Data, &data)
+			if err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("unmarshaling grandpa consensus digest: %w", err)
+			}
+
+			err = b.grandpaState.HandleGRANDPADigest(header, data)
+			if err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("handling grandpa digest: %w", err)
+			}
+		default:
+			// Will be handle by the block importer
+			continue
+		}
+	}
+
+	return b.grandpaState.ApplyForcedChanges(header)
+}
+
 // processBlockData processes the BlockData from a BlockResponse and
 // returns the index of the last BlockData it handled on success,
 // or the index of the block data that errored on failure.
@@ -117,7 +149,7 @@ func (b *blockImporter) processBlockData(blockData types.BlockData, origin Block
 			setID            uint64
 		)
 
-		err := b.grandpaState.ApplyForcedChanges(blockData.Header)
+		err := b.checkAndApplyForcedAuthChanges(blockData)
 		if err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("applying forced changes: %w", err)
 		}
diff --git a/dot/types/digest.go b/dot/types/digest.go
index 06931011bb..6e1c172e46 100644
--- a/dot/types/digest.go
+++ b/dot/types/digest.go
@@ -111,6 +111,28 @@ func (d *Digest) Add(values ...any) (err error) {
 	return nil
 }
 
+func (d *Digest) ToConsensusDigests() []ConsensusDigest {
+	consensusDigests := make([]ConsensusDigest, 0, len(*d))
+
+	for _, d := range *d {
+		digestValue, err := d.Value()
+		if err != nil {
+			continue
+		}
+		digest, ok := digestValue.(ConsensusDigest)
+		if !ok {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		switch digest.ConsensusEngineID {
+		case GrandpaEngineID, BabeEngineID:
+			consensusDigests = append(consensusDigests, digest)
+		}
+	}
+
+	return consensusDigests
+}
+
 func (d *Digest) String() string {
 	stringTypes := make([]string, len(*d))
 	for i, vdt := range *d {
@@ -182,3 +204,41 @@ type RuntimeEnvironmentUpdated struct{}
 func (RuntimeEnvironmentUpdated) String() string {
 	return "RuntimeEnvironmentUpdated"
 }
+
+// FilterGRANDPAForcedChanges removes any GrandpaScheduledChange in the presence of a
+// GrandpaForcedChange in the same block digest, returning a new slice of ConsensusDigest
+func FilterGRANDPAForcedChanges(digests []ConsensusDigest) ([]ConsensusDigest, error) {
+	var hasForcedChange bool
+	digestsWithoutScheduled := make([]ConsensusDigest, 0, len(digests))
+	for i, digest := range digests {
+		if digest.ConsensusEngineID != GrandpaEngineID {
+			digestsWithoutScheduled = append(digestsWithoutScheduled, digest)
+			continue
+		}
+
+		data := NewGrandpaConsensusDigest()
+		err := scale.Unmarshal(digest.Data, &data)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("cannot unmarshal GRANDPA consensus digest: %w", err)
+		}
+
+		dataValue, err := data.Value()
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("getting value of digest type at index %d: %w", i, err)
+		}
+		switch dataValue.(type) {
+		case GrandpaScheduledChange:
+		case GrandpaForcedChange:
+			hasForcedChange = true
+			digestsWithoutScheduled = append(digestsWithoutScheduled, digest)
+		default:
+			digestsWithoutScheduled = append(digestsWithoutScheduled, digest)
+		}
+	}
+
+	if hasForcedChange {
+		return digestsWithoutScheduled, nil
+	}
+
+	return digests, nil
+}