Department of Child Safety supports legislation to reform it following high-profile deaths

The Department of Child Safety is backing a package of bills to reform Arizona’s child welfare agency.

Legislation sponsored by Sen. Carine Werner (R-Scottsdale) — and supported by DCS — would add new requirements for caseworkers to include pictures of children in their reports and files, encourage coordination between the agency and tribal communities, and more.

Werner says DCS has been a willing partner following the high-profile deaths of three young girls in the state’s care.

“They have been really tremendous in their participation and willingness to make the reforms that we are making this session,” Werner said at a Monday hearing.

The meeting was the last in a series of oversight hearings Werner hosted concerning DCS over the last several months.

All seven of Werner’s reform bills have advanced with bipartisan support in the state Legislature. One measure, which requires DCS to partner with state tribes, was already signed into law.

The bill follows the 2025 murder of Emily Pike, a 14-year-old girl in the custody of the San Carlos Apache Tribe who ran away from a Mesa group home.

“Senator Werner has done a ton of work with us. She has come and learned the agency, she has been briefed on many of the cases including this one, and based on our findings of the case she has introduced some bills,” DCS Director Kathryn Ptak said.

Ptak is the third person to lead DCS in four years. She was appointed to the role by Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs in 2025.

In a presentation to lawmakers, Ptak said the number of missing youth has dropped by 40% since September of 2024.