Hobbs signs slate of bills to improve child safety, reform DCS

Gov. Katie Hobbs signed a series of bills this year that are meant to reform the Department of Child Safety in the wake of multiple high-profile deaths.

One of the biggest changes is from Senate Bill 1174, which requires DCS to include a child’s entire history in a single report if they’ve been the subject of prior hotline calls.

It also requires the department to refer investigations involving repeated reports of abuse to a child safety specialist.

Sen. Carine Werner (R-Scottsdale) said one of the most consistent concerns she received is that critical information on abused children was scattered across multiple reports, obscuring the whole picture — as in the case of 10-year-old Rebekah Baptite, who was abused for years and whose case was reported many times before her death.

“This bill helps ensure repeated concerns are recognized as a pattern, escalated appropriately, and reviewed by experienced professionals. If we expect better outcomes for vulnerable children, we must provide frontline staff with better information and better tools,” Werner said in a statement.

Hobbs said Tuesday that DCS Director Kathryn Ptak was eager to work with the Legislature and is focused on implementing the changes.

Other bills Hobbs signed into law include SB 1127, which requires mandated reporters to report child abuse directly to DCS, and HB 2661, which lays out specific information DCS must include in its case management system.

SB 1631 requires DCS to conduct a forensic interview of a child within 72 hours of receiving a sexual abuse allegation.