By Dianna M. Nanez
The Arizona Department of Child Safety isn’t giving foster parents the information they are legally entitled to, so they can properly care for children the state places in their homes, according to a state auditor general report.
Because DCS did not inform a foster parent of a child’s medical conditions, one child went into anaphylactic shock “due to an allergen exposure.”
Another child had a contagious health condition that a fosterparent felt “could have jeopardized the health of her entire family.”
“Sadly, there appears to be a systemic failure in the foster care system at the expense of some of our most vulnerable children. However, a central repository of information such as the Foster Care Portal can go a long way towards creating adequate records, ensuring access of information for foster parents, facilitating ongoing communication between foster parents and DCS, creating a mechanism of oversight and ensuring accountability. Hopefully, we can all band together as a community through lobbying efforts and administrative oversight to ensure that these children get the resources and protections they need.”
