Showing a commitment to improving outcomes for Arizona children in the state’s care, lawmakers made child welfare one of the greatest beneficiaries of the $9.6 billion budget adopted earlier this month.
Read More »Lawmakers boost money for child safety agency, but with strings attached
CPS workers can interview children without adult’s consent, AG concludes
Child welfare workers can interview children without the consent of their parents, Attorney General Mark Brnovich concluded Monday.
Read More »Don’t give up on DCS yet! What the agency needs is inspiring leadership
Dear Legislature: Don’t give up on Arizona’s children and the Department of Child Safety yet, please.
Read More »McKay defends his approach, says DCS problems created by past administrations 
Officials at the Department of Child Safety know the beleaguered agency has problems, but Director Greg McKay says previous administrations are to blame.
Read More »Hundreds of millions of dollars later, child safety programs plagued by the same problems 
A decade ago, a team of auditors embedded themselves in the agency charged with protecting Arizona’s children and found that some reports of child abuse or neglect weren’t properly investigated. Other cases lacked the relevant information necessary to ensure children’s safety. Ten years, hundreds of millions of dollars and a new agency later, the problems that plague the Department of Child Safety echo those that caseworkers faced a decade ago.
Read More »Child Safety director says goal of reducing backlog “not attainable,” money “not well spent” 
One year and $29 million later, Arizona’s child welfare agency is no closer to eliminating a sizeable backlog of stagnant child safety cases, a goal the agency’s director now says was unattainable.
Read More »Wrongful termination suit filed by 5 ex-CPS workers tossed 
A judge Thursday threw out a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by five former Arizona child welfare workers who were fired last year amid an agency scandal.
Read More »New child safety director describes plans to improve care
The Department of Child Safety’s new director outlined plans on March 23 to turn around Arizona’s ailing child welfare services in front of a legislative committee.
Read More »Brewer preparing budget protecting her priorities
Outgoing Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said Monday she is preparing a budget proposal that protects her top priorities but that she acknowledges can be ignored by governor-elect Doug Ducey.
Read More »Governor’s team completes its examination of child welfare cases 
A special team formed by Gov. Jan Brewer to address 6,596 reports of neglect and abuse that child-welfare workers set aside without investigating has finished examining the cases.
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