PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The director of Arizona’s child welfare agency is responding to three new reports released by the state’s auditor general. The agency has been under scrutiny following the murders of three children known to the system.
Arizona’s Family Investigates spoke with Department of Child Safety (DCS) Director Kathryn Ptak about the findings.
Ptak said the agency has had a challenging year but said she is proud of the work the department has done. The reports do not examine the state of the agency overall but instead focus on specific issues.
Noncriminal investigations report
One report was a follow-up audit from a review conducted last year. It found DCS is not always informing people under noncriminal investigation in writing of their rights and the specific allegations against them. The audit also found DCS is taking longer than the 45 days mandated by statute to close out cases, which could negatively impact families…