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DCS chief offers new plan to cut backlog of cases
The head of the state's child welfare agency said Thursday he will slash the backlog of inactive cases by cutting down the number investigated on the front end.
Maybe he should have sent an engraved invitation
Former DCS Director Charles Flanagan told our reporter today that the department implemented a policy under his watch that barred married same-sex couples from jointly adopting or fostering children under the state’s care after Brnovich advised the agency to do so.
Ducey orders agency to allow gays to foster, adopt children
Gov. Doug Ducey ordered the Department of Child Safety to allow married same-sex couples to jointly house foster children and adopt. Ducey ordered the policy change in response to an Arizona Capitol Times report that DCS had quietly reversed a policy that had allowed married same-sex couples to jointly adopt or provide foster care.
DCS bars gay couples from being foster, adoptive parents
The Department of Child Safety quietly reversed a policy in February that allowed married same-sex couples to jointly serve as foster parents or adopt from the more than 16,000 children under the state’s care, even though federal courts have declared Arizona’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.
Governor’s office won’t release McKay whistleblower letter
The Governor’s Office is refusing to make public a whistle-blower complaint the Department of Child Safety’s general counsel made against the agency’s newly appointed director Greg McKay.
Budget clears first hurdle, now faces GOP opposition
Arizona legislators advanced a budget deal struck by Senate and House leaders and Gov. Doug Ducey, but the bills won’t move any further unless GOP leadership can change the minds of more than a dozen rank-and-file members opposed to the spending plan.
Flanagan defends his leadership at Dept of Child Safety
Fired Department of Child Safety director Charles Flanagan defended himself against allegations his process of getting through a backlog of cases was dangerous to abused children, and said he’s speaking out for the first time since his firing to defend the record of his administration and DCS employees who have been smeared by recent news reports based on allegations from Greg McKay, the newly a[...]
Child Protective Services Needs More than a Name Change
What has changed? Through the eyes of a battered child, not much.
Group wants statewide foster child education plan
Proponents of a program that links foster children with education advocates to improve their success in school want the Arizona Legislature to expand a pilot program now used just in Pima County.
Old and new: A comparison of Arizona’s child welfare strategies
Spurred by a crisis over thousands of uninvestigated reports of abuse and neglect and the state’s inability to resolve a backlog of cases, Gov. Jan Brewer disbanded Child Protective Services, created a holdover agency and proposed a new department to focus solely on child welfare.
New child safety agency will have to overcome deep problems from the past
The Department of Child Safety, which Arizona lawmakers approved in a special session May 29 at the urging of Gov. Jan Brewer, may be new, but it still bears the burdens left behind by its predecessor.
Attorney General’s Office questions openness of new child safety agency
The leader of the state’s new child-welfare agency proclaimed that a new era of openness and accountability has arrived. But the Attorney General’s Office contends a provision preventing it from giving legal advice could only spur more secrecy.
