The Arizona Department of Child Safety is still hitting serious bumps and Director Greg McKay is implementing a new strategic plan and rewriting the department's rules.
The stand-alone agency was created in 2014 after reports surfaced that the former Child Protective Services didn’t investigate more than 6,500 cases of child abuse and neglect. Critics say some of the new proposed rules are too vague.
McKay has had concerns about reports caseworkers have had to do for both serious and minor cases. He also wants to put into effect more of what he calls "objective decision-making."
A few rules about medical and adoption services have already been submitted to the state. Those still open for public comment are about the definitions of investigations and reports of abuse and neglect.
Dana Wolfe Naimark, president and CEO of Children’s Action Alliance, said the previous guidelines were rigid and didn’t give the agency enough flexibility, but these go too far in the other direction.
“These rules give the department the authority to decisions all by themselves and then they’ll be hanging out there all by themselves when cases go wrong and they won’t have the community partners standing with them saying this is a good system," said Naimark.
These and other proposals are available for public comment until September. The rules will be finalized by the end of the year.
We talked with Wolfe Naimark more about the strategic plan and whether it will require more money from the Legislature.
