Child welfare session gets off to a slow start before bills introduced
Arizona lawmakers opened a special session to overhaul the state’s child welfare system with a sputter, beginning the session without having finished preparing the bills needed to create a new Department of Child Safety.
Governor asks for nearly $60 million to help solve child welfare problems
Gov. Jan Brewer is asking for nearly $60 million in a special session to begin May 27 to overhaul the state’s child-welfare agency and to close out a backlog of 14,777 abuse and neglect cases.
Flanagan provides details on CPS breakdown: “This organization was sick”
A small group of child welfare workers made a "dysfunctional" decision to set aside child abuse calls to soften their workload and then tried to hide it.
CPS reports detailed rise in uninvestigated cases
The rapidly rising number of uninvestigated abuse and neglect reports at Child Protective Services was documented in years of reports to the governor and Legislature, Department of Economic Services Director Clarence Carter confirmed Monday.
Governor says she expects to learn soon who is to blame for latest CPS crisis
Gov. Jan Brewer is willing to give Clarence Carter the benefit of the doubt about his culpability in more than 6,500 uninvestigated complaints of child abuse -- at least for the time being.
No witnesses, no evidence
Senator blasts CPS after police decide not to pursue charges against him, CPS still investigating
Peoria police found no evidence to support allegations that state Sen. Rick Murphy sexually abused two children living in his home and did not recommend any charges against the senator, according to a police report released July 24. But officials with Child Protective Services are s[...]
CPS official wants to close gaps endangering kids
The head of the new investigations unit of Arizona's Child Protective Services wants to fill in cracks that he says can be deadly for children and haunting for those trying — but failing — to protect them.
State faces big increase in requests to take abused children from parents
A surge in the number of dependency cases is overwhelming juvenile courts around the state, straining the foster-care system and prompting agencies in the child-welfare system to ask for millions more dollars for the next fiscal year.