The Department of Child Safety was put in the spotlight again this legislative session, but the agency was granted a lifeline tied to stipulations despite some lawmakers’ stance that it should not be continued at all. Legislation that passed this session will put aspects of the agency under a microscope and set up policy that aims to increase housing security for foster children that age out of the system.
Republican lawmakers alluded to changes for the department at an audit hearing in January, citing mishandling of cases and too many children being removed from their homes as reasons for reform. At the hearing, Sen. Justine Wadsack, R-Tucson, and Rep. Barbara Parker, R-Mesa, both voted against continuing the agency.
While most lawmakers agreed that the Legislature should keep a closer eye on the agency, many noted that it had recently fallen under new leadership. David Lujan assumed the position of DCS cabinet executive officer in April 2023 and assured lawmakers at the audit hearing that the agency will follow through with recommendations.
The agency was ultimately given a four-year continuation with several new reporting requirements tied to its lifeline. The new policy requires DCS to investigate if a mother is a qualifying medical cannabis patient in cases of prenatal cannabis exposure. It also created reporting requirements for placement cost rate increases for foster and group homes.
Sen. David Farnsworth, R-Mesa, added “missing children” to the title of the Senate Transportation and Technology Committee at the start of the session in hopes that the panel would take aim at the function of DCS and how they dealt with missing children cases. The department’s most recent report indicated 21 missing/abducted children through the end of April.
“The issue is what we did in 2014, was trying to divide the needs from the family to the needs of the child,” Farnsworth, who meets with DCS every Thursday morning, said.
The agency was created in 2014, removing it from the Department of Economic Security, where cases were handled by Child Protective Services at the time, and putting it under the governor’s control. Farnsworth said reversing the decision would not “automatically fix the issue,” although he said recentering the conversation to “keeping families together” would be a start.
“They're taking steps to strengthen things, but I was not aware that progress has been made,” Farnsworth said.
Additionally, Farnsworth said he believes the new CEO of DCS, David Lujan, is a “sincere person” and the solution is not to scrutinize the agency but to work toward reforming the agency’s operation.
Two bills signed into law this year look to increase permanent housing opportunities for foster children who “age out” of the system. When a child is in foster or kinship care, they are emancipated when they turn 18 years old. Research indicates that 31% to 46% of youth exiting foster care experience homelessness by the age 26.
Gov. Katie Hobbs signed a bill introduced by Sen. Catherine Miranda, D-Laveen, which requires that DPS develop and implement policies to ensure young adults leaving the agency’s care who do not have a permanent housing option are discharged to a “safe and secure housing environment.”
Young adults that age out of the foster care system often have no immediate options for housing, especially not permanent options.
“This is what I call (the) homeless prevention bill,” Miranda said.
Another bill that was signed by the governor will set up a Foster Home Youth Permanency Project Team to develop a strategy to identify children at risk of leaving DCS custody without a permanent placement. The team will also look to implement solutions to barriers to permanency for children who are likely to age out of the system.
Sommer Knight and Elena Reid Steinbeiss are co-executive directors at Foster360, an organization which takes in youth who aged out of the foster care system. Though similar groups exist throughout the state, their approach is focused on breaking the cycle of homelessness by providing a “trauma-informed, community-centric and compassionate environment.”
Steinbeiss said trauma-informed care is important for individuals exiting the foster care system as they often enter the system due to traumatic experiences. Effective programs must address individual trauma before offering services like therapy or job assistance, she said.
“Once we've got them in a place where their nervous system is more calm, then we work on education, work and life skills,” Knight said. “We should put people in permanent housing, but the question that's not being asked is, ‘How are we going to help them keep it?’”
Permanency programs often follow a sort of “check-list” approach to their patients, Knight said, which fails to address the individuality of each case. So, while establishing focus groups like the Foster Home Youth Permanency Project Team is a step in the right direction, Knight and Steinbeiss both said intent is important.
“Is there accountability on the teams you're setting up to have the right education that applies appropriately to the statistics and to the research around trauma and brain injuries for this population, and with that information, are we creating spaces that can be individualized and not as cookie cutter, and are we able to be flexible in how we work?” Knight said.
Homelessness and foster care often go hand-in-hand, Knight said. The answer can seem as simple as providing individuals permanent housing options at first glance, but long-term solutions must look closely at what causes a child to enter foster care in the first place, she said.
“Though these are positive steps forward, we're still missing a piece of the puzzle, and the work that really needs to be done outside of just putting people in a safe house,” Knight said.
The foster care system is overwhelmed with cases, which has halted efforts to truly reform the system, Steinbeiss said. Providing further funding to increasing housing and care opportunities is a step in the right direction, but she said it is also about where the money is being funneled.
DCS is “putting out fires constantly” which makes it hard to prioritize creating real change in the system, Knight said. She emphasized that counseling services are important, “but we have to shift how we provide.”
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