Reform of Child Protection and Child Welfare in Arizona

1. Reform of Child Protection and Child Welfare in Arizona Tracy Wareing Office of Governor Janet Napolitano Policy Advisor for Children’s Services

2. 2003 – A Year in Review Governor’s Advisory Commission on CPS Reform • Comprised of legislators, court representatives, advocates, community providers, agency directors, law enforcement, health practitioners, educators. • Charged with examining child protection from all angles to determine how best to achieve effective system reform in Arizona. • Charged with developing recommendations, focusing on improved outcomes for the safety, well-being and permanency of Arizona’s children.

3. 2003 – A Year in Review Governor’s Advisory Commission on CPS Reform • Seven subcommittees ran parallel to the Commission and included community participants, such as foster and adoptive parents, relative caregivers, advocates, and other volunteers. • CPS Reports and Investigations • CPS Records and Hearings • Juvenile Justice • CPS Structure • Health Care • Education • Community

4. 2003 – A Year in Review Governor’s Advisory Commission on CPS Reform • Full Report of Commission and 7 Subcommittees published June 30, 2003 • Report resulted in over 200 detailed recommendations on how to improve the delivery of child welfare services to children and families from all state agencies and the community

5. 2003 – A Year in Review • August 2003 – The Governor hired David Berns as Director of the Department of Economic Security • The Governor and Director Berns hosted three public forums in Phoenix, Prescott and Tucson to present the Commission’s recommendations and seek further input regarding CPS reform • More than 650 people attended the public forums and over 100 offered testimony • The Governor also received hundreds of written comments

6. 2003 – A Year in Review September 2003 – The Governor released her Action Plan forReform of Arizona’s Child Protection System • 42 point plan • A blueprint of legislative and practice changes • Specifies “Indicators of Improvement”

7. Ensuring a multi-disciplinary response to reports of abuse and neglect Preventing child abuse and neglect Clarifying the mission and role of CPS Ensuring effective delivery of services to children and families Providing adequate support for children and families served by the system as well as those who provide services Increasing communityinvolvement 2003 – A Year in ReviewGovernor’s Action Plan Priorities

8. 2003 Arizona Legislature Special Session • Bi-partisan team drafted legislation • Key policy areas include: • 100% Investigations by CPS • Joint Investigations • Mission of CPS • Substance Abuse • Confidentiality Laws: Sharing of Records • Open Hearings Pilot Project • In-Home Intervention

9. 2003 Arizona Legislature Special SessionKey Provisions of HB2024 100% Investigations: Maintains the Family Builders program, but provides that CPS can only refer cases to a Family Builders provider after CPS has investigated the report

10. 2003 Arizona Legislature Special SessionKey Provisions of HB2024 Joint Investigations: Requires joint investigations by CPS and law enforcement for the most serious allegations of abuse and neglect • In accordance with protocols established in each county by July 1, 2004 • Protocols must include standards for interdisciplinary investigations, regular notification of case status, Annual Report to Governor and Legislature • Requires CPS investigators to be trained in forensic interviewing and processes

11. 2003 Arizona Legislature Special SessionKey Provisions of HB2024 Mission: The primary purpose of CPS is to: • Protect children by investigating allegations of abuse and neglect; • Promote the well-being of a child in a permanent home; and • Coordinate services to strengthen the family and prevent abuse or neglect

12. 2003 Arizona Legislature Special SessionKey Provisions of HB2024 Substance Abuse: When determining whether a child has been neglected, consideration shall be given to a parent’s drug or alcohol abuse, including a mother’s abuse of a dangerous drug, narcotic or alcohol during pregnancy if the child is demonstrably, adversely affected. -Also clarifies that a child may be taken into temporary custody if physically injured as a result of living on premises where dangerous drugs or narcotics are manufactured

13. 2003 Arizona Legislature Special SessionKey Provisions of HB2024 Confidentiality Laws: Clarifies that CPS Records shall be maintained by DES as required by federal laws as a condition of the allocation of federal monies to the State. - All exceptions for the public release of CPS information shall be construed as openly as possible under federal law.

14. 2003 Arizona Legislature Special SessionKey Provisions of HB2024 Open Hearings: Expands the pilot project to all counties in the state as follows – • In counties greater than 500,000, the pilot must include 10% of the dependency cases; • In counties 150,000-500,000, the pilot must include at least 5% of the dependency cases; • In counties less than 150,000, the pilot must include 5% but no more than 10% of the dependency cases. • Extends the duration of the pilot projects to December 31, 2005

15. 2003 Arizona Legislature Special SessionKey Provisions of HB2024 In-Home Intervention: Establishes an alternative to the formal dependency process when it is determined that a child can remain safely in the home and parent(s) agree to participate in services. • The Court may intervene and reinstate the dependency process if parent(s) fail to comply • The in-home intervention Order must include a specific time for completion, not to exceed one year without Court approval

16. 2003 Arizona Legislature Special SessionKey Provisions of HB2024 Oversight and Accountability: • Co-location of an Auditor General audit team in DES • Collaborative development of a financial and program accountability reporting system by DES, OSPB, JLBC and the Auditor General • Expansion of the role of the Joint Legislative Committee on Children and Family Services • Development of evaluation criteria for CPS workers and foster parents to evaluate CPS, and a means to measure ongoing improvements in CPS

17. 2003 Arizona Legislature Special SessionAdditional Resources to the Agency • $10.3 million to maintain current CPS staffing and service levels • $6,304,300 for reform efforts that will allow CPS to conduct 100% of investigations of abuse and neglect, reduce caseloads of CPS workers to national standards, provide additional compensation to CPS workers, increase foster care reimbursement rates and replace outdated technology equipment • $675,000 for residential drug treatment over three fiscal years • $25,000 for an additional position at DHS to conduct home inspections for foster home licensing

18. DES Implementation Plan Making it All Happen . . . • Implementing the 42 strategies set forth in the Action Plan • Implementing HB2024 legislation – appropriation measures and policy changes

19. DES Implementation Plan Implementation Structure Governor‘s Advisory Committee Division of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) Steering Committee Implementation Team Leads & Co-Leads Implementation Team Work Groups

20. DES Implementation Plan DCYF Steering Committee – 17 members • DCYF Central Office Management • CMDP Management • CPS Assistant Program Managers, Supervisors and Case Managers • FAA Representatives

21. DES Implementation Plan Implementation Teams . . . Ten Teams consisting of 27 workgroups covering each of the Action Plan Priorities as well as: • Communication Support • Fiscal Support • and Legal Support

22. DES Implementation Plan Workgroup Composition . . . The 27 workgroups include: • More than 100 Department staff • Staff from several other state agencies • More than 70 provider and community members • 15 Community Network Teams with more than 450 members

23. Agencies – DCYF, DDD, FBOA, AG, FAA, DHS, AOC Foster Care Youth Education – university, school Faith-based –TMM Family Services, Catholic Social Services Community interests – police, DV, social service agencies Group Membership Providers –foster care, substance abuse Parents – biological, foster, adoptive Medical – CMDP, Maricopa County Dept. of Public Health; Maricopa Integrated Health Systems; neonatologist RBHA organizations Community Network Teams(Local Advisory Boards)

24. DES Implementation Plan Accomplishments… • Foster parent rate increases • Recruitment and hiring of staff • Implementation of staff salary increases • MSW stipend • Bi-lingual stipend • CMDP enrollment improvements

25. Oversight of Reform Efforts • Appointment of a consumer-focused Advisory Committee responsible for oversight of the CPS reform efforts • Involvement of a state-wide Foster Youth Advisory Board in the implementation process

26. Oversight of Reform Efforts Children’s Cabinet: Coordinates services among child serving agencies and serves as final arbiter of any unresolved issues between the agencies. Community: Involvement in oversight process, public awareness and education, and continuous input to design of CPS reform.

27. Contact Information For more information and continuous updates please visit: www.governor.state.az.us/cps www.de.state.az.us/dcyf/default.asp Questions? – please contact: Tracy Wareing: twareing@az.gov