Arizona child services tweak would give investigators more discretion

Aug 17, 2015, 2:56 PM

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PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Child Safety is considering a rule tweak that would let investigators decide whether or not to physically see a child in an abuse case.

The agency’s Doug Nick said the change is being considered to ensure investigations are given an appropriate level of response.

“Say you have a child who is in a situation where a psychological adviser says ‘Five years ago, I had a situation with a family member, but the family situation has changed considerably since then.’ The response you would have for something like that might be very different from when somebody calls in and says ‘I believe a child is in immediate danger,’” he said. “That’s the kind of change that we’re talking about — a response that fits the situation as best as we can.”

Nick said DCS would send someone to investigate immediately if a child was in danger.

The endgame of the possible change is to help the agency be more effective in managing the 2,100-plus calls it receives on a monthly basis.

“It’s a multi-pronged process that we’re going through to insure that we do have eyes on the children, but that we are able to have a certain amount of discretion in the method by which we respond,” Nick said.

“Every case is different, and we want to have that balance so that we respond appropriately and divert our resources appropriately.”

The agency is taking public comments on the change both online and at public meetings in Phoenix and Tucson.