1 week Ago
PHOENIX — "Poor leadership." That's what's prompting Arizona state Senator T.J.
Shope to call for reforms to the Arizona Department of Child Safety. The state agency has been under scrutiny since early November when one of its caseworkers was violently assaulted while the suspect livestreamed it on his Facebook page. "There's a lot of reform that needs to be taken and it's something that's going to be under the microscope going forward this session," Shope said.
Shope said DCS can spend their $1.2 billion budget how they see fit but said removing security guards from all of their Valley buildings may have been a short-sighted decision. "Perhaps the legislature does need to write a bill that says that of those dollars, you will spend this amount on something like that, and that is something we can do now," Shope said.
"Will DCS or the governor's office be receptive to being told how to run an agency? That would get to be determined." Democrats in Arizona's legislature blame Republican lawmakers for scaling back DCS' operating budget by between 3.5 and 4 percent in 2024.
DCS Deputy Director David Lujan told 12News this left leadership with "a lot of bad options" on where to make necessary cuts. “My Republican colleagues handed us an enormous deficit because they have been budgeting with their eyes closed for way too many years," Senate Minority Leader Mitzi Epstein said. "In this case, my Republican colleagues have cut the budget and cut the budget and cut the budget, and the result is we don't have enough security for people who need it.
" Shope says DCS, like every other Arizona agency, will have to negotiate with lawmakers for budget increases during the 2025 legislative session. However, he remains skeptical if increasing the DCS budget will lead to improved worker safety. "They've made like a half dozen, if not more, changes to the policies that would govern how a caseworker goes into a facility and things like that, and going in pairs and such.
All of that is handled by the agency," Shope said. The Republican lawmakers expressed concern over DCS not having a permanent director. Amid a quarrel with Republican senators, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs appointed her director of operations, Ben Henderson, as the interim director of DCS this year.
This came after Republicans rejected her nominations for over a dozen state agencies. In a ruling released June 5, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney determined the governor's deputy directors were appointed to their leadership roles without legislative oversight in violation of Arizona law. "The fact that we don't have an actual director there, because we haven't had a Governor willing to work with the Senate in order to approve a director in that agency is something that should bother every Arizonan, and it's something that we will continue to see if we can work out with them," Shope said.
Governor Katie Hobbs' office issued the following statement on Republican claims that poor leadership is to blame at DCS: It's regrettable that Republican legislators continue to politicize the safety of AZ’s children and our dedicated public servants who dedicate their lives to keeping AZ’s children safe. They would rather protect the right for ESA parents to purchase luxury car driving lessons, ski passes, and grand pianos rather than properly fund critical agencies like DCS. They added that steps have been taken by DCS to better protect their workers since the assault occurred on November 5.
Those include: Risk Management Assessments : Our Risk Management team works with Program Managers and Building Liaisons to assess and address specific security needs. Alert Media : All of our field specialists have Alert Media feature on their phones. This is an app that immediately contacts law enforcement if an employee is in a dangerous situation.
Resource list for Parenting Time and TDM : We created a resource guide to identify community locations that offer some level of security or increased public visibility for Parenting Time and Team Decision-Making Meetings. Partnership with Local Law Enforcement : We worked closely with local law enforcement to build relationships to increase law enforcement visibility in our offices and surrounding areas. Workplace violence and de-escalation training: We provide trainings to our employees on de-escalation techniques they can use if they find themselves in a high-risk situation.
Signage : Signage is posted in local offices to communicate our Safety and Conduct Guidelines to visitors..
