CHILD SAFETY REFORM LEGISLATION

MAY 2014

OVERVIEW: The purpose of the bill is to separate the state’s child safety functions from the Arizona

Department of Economic Security (DES) and create a stand-alone, cabinet-level child safety

agency

MAJOR PROVISIONS:

• Establishes the Department of Child Safety as a separate Department with child safety as the

primary purpose, effective July 1, 2014

• Outlines the purpose, scope, and organization of the new Department

• Requires transparency and accountability

• Transfers Office of Child Welfare Investigations (OCWI) to the new Department with a

direct report to the Director

• Allows the Director to contract with a private entity to provide services or functions that the

Department provides

• Allows the Department to employ legal counsel to provide legal advice to the Director, but

requires the Attorney General to represent the Department in any administrative or judicial

proceeding

• Enables the Department to provide prevention, intervention and treatment for abused and

neglected children

• Establishes requirements for the centralized intake hotline

• Allows the Department to investigate child abuse and neglect allegations if the alleged

perpetrator is an adult member of the victim’s household

• Establishes training requirements for hotline workers, field investigators, and child safety

workers

• Allows other methods of reporting suspected child abuse and neglect to the hotline (e.g. e-

mail, web-based forms, etc.)

• Establishes an Inspections Bureau to ensure compliance with statute and the rules and

policies of the Department and to continuously improve the practices of the Department

• Establishes a Community Advisory Committee to:

• Inform the Department, analyze current law and policy

• Make recommendations to improve the ability of the Department to increase the

safety of children, respond to child maltreatment and assure the well-being of and

timely permanency for children that are referred to and involved in the child welfare

system.

• Create enhanced collaboration among state, local, community, public and private

stakeholders

• Improve communication between mandatory reporters and the Department

• Requires the Auditor General to contract with an independent expert consultant to:

• Examine the current child safety system

• Consider best practices to improve the delivery of services in the state

• Provide consultation on the effective establishment of the new Department with a

focus on implementation challenges

• Recommend the need for periodic performance evaluations

• Changes the CPS Oversight Committee to the Child Safety Oversight Committee and extends

the Committee to December 2015

• Transfers the Central Registry to the Department of Child Safety and allows the Department

to maintain certain reports on the Registry for less than 25 years. The Department is required

to adopt rules to designate the length of time it must maintain those reports on the Registry

• Allows the Department to develop protocols for not conducting a full investigation while also

taking measures to prevent future risk of harm to the child in cases not involving criminal

conduct and in which there is reasonable belief that the child is currently safe. Requires the

Department to report its recommendations to the Governor, Speaker and President by July 1,

2015

• Exempts the Department of Child Safety from rule-making for 18 months and exempts the

Department of Economic Security from rule-making for 12 months in order to facilitate the

transfer of operations to the new Department, but includes several public posting and forum

requirements

• Requires the Director of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, the Director of the

Governor's Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting and the Director of the Department of

Child Safety to report to the Governor, Speaker, and President recommendations for

consolidating into one comprehensive report the semi-annual child welfare report, financial

and program accountability report, and other child welfare reports prepared by the

department by September 1, 2016. Requires that they also address the merits of adding

additional accountability factors, including new reporting measures for OCWI and the impact

of substance abuse in child abuse and neglect cases.

Department of Child Safety- Special Session Budget Recommendations

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 11

12 13

14 15 16 17

18 19 20

Appropriations

Supplemental

Backlog- Action Determination

Backlog- Investigation

Backlog- Out-of-Home Care Placement

Backlog- Out-of-Home Care Services

Backlog- In-Home Care Services

Caseworkers and Support Staff

Caseworker Retention

ASU -Joint Training

Child Care

Internet Crimes Against Children

Preventative Services

SLI- OCWI

Inspections Bureau

Ombudsman

Auditor General

Internal legal Counsel

Congregate Care Backfill

Transition Fund

Partial Deferral Payoff

Total

Footnotes:

Line 1

FY14 FY15 FY16 5,050,000 - -

- 246,500 -- 4,218,500 -- 6,815,900 4,543,900

- 7,620,300 5,080,200

- 4,173,100 2,782,100 - 6,222,500 4,993,000

- 1,707,000 1,707,000

- 150,000 150,000

- 4,000,000 4,000,000

- 350,000 350,000

- - 4,000,000

- 5,282,500 5,553,300 - 2,193,800 1,945,800 - 828,500 828,500 - 250,000 -

- 157,300 157,300

- 2,450,000 2,450,000

- 5,000,000 -- 3,000,000 -

5,050,000 54,665,900 38,541,100

Does not continue into FY 2015, FY 2016 and FY 2017 because of increase to CSS budget in HB 2703 Lines 5 and 6

Line 7

LineS

Represents increase to Children Support Services SUs Assumes service delivery for 9 months in FY 2015 and for 6 months in FY 2016

Provides funding to hire additional 54 caseworkers and 40 support staff

Establishes caseworker retention stipend: $1,000 for 18 months of employment, $3,000 for 36 months Assumes 525 will receive $1,000 stipend and 394 will receive $3,000 stipend each year

Line 10

Caps total LIW Child Care subsidy population at 8,500 One-in-one-out policy implemented

Line 13

Provides funding to hire additional 54 investigators and 19 support staff Hiring phased in over first six months of FY 2015 Creates SLI for OCWI funding

Line 14

Provides funding for 31 employees for Inspections Bureau Line 20

Eliminates need to defer May payments for Children Support Services

FY17 --

----

4,993,000 1,707,000

150,000 4,000,000

350,000

8,000,000 5,553,300 1,945,800

828,500

-157,300

2,450,000

--

30,134,900

Program Division between Department of Child Safety and Department of Economic Security

Department of Child Safety Department of Economic Security Operating Operating Office of child welfare investigations Aging and Adult Services DCSFS attorney general legal services Adult Services Adoption services Community and emergency services In-home preventive support services Coordinated homeless Out-of-home support services Domestic violence prevention CPS emergency and residential placement Benefits and Medical Eligibilijy Foster care placement Temporary assistance for needy families cash benefits Independent living maintenance Coordinated hunger Intensive family services Tribal pass-through funding Permanent guardianship subsidy Child SUQQOrt enforcement Grandparent stipends County participation DCSFS child care subsidy DeveloQmental disabilities Licensing Case management - Medicaid Total Appropriation: $827,150,600 Home and community based services - Medicaid FTE Positions: 3,133 Institutional services - Medicaid

Medical services - Medicaid Arizona training program at Coolidge - Medicaid Medicare clawback payments Case management - state-only Home and community based services - state-only Autism parenting skills - rural areas

EmQloyment and rehabilitation services JOBS Child care subsidy Independent living rehabilitation services Rehabilitation services Workforce investment act services

Total appropriation: $1,533,099,100 FTE Positions: 3,807