By: Evan Wyloge | Arizona Capitol Times
Gov. Jan Brewer began the 2014 session with a major shakeup at Child Protective Services, announcing that she signed an executive order to split the troubled division off from the Department of Economic Security.
The new Division of Child Safety and Family Services will answer directly to the Governor’s Office, and Charles Flanagan, the director of the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections who also heads up a team Brewer created to look into thousands of uninvestigated child abuse reports at CPS, will lead the new agency.
“Our job is far from over. It is evident that our child welfare system is broken, impeded by years of structural and operational failures. It breaks my heart and makes me angry. Enough with uninvestigated reports of abuse and neglect. Enough with the lack of transparency. And enough with the excuses,” Brewer said.
The announcement comes in response to recent revelations that CPS failed to investigate about 6,500 reported allegations of child abuse. Brewer said CPS caseworkers and law enforcement had now seen more than 3,000 of the children whose cases were ignored.
