Center Issues Annual Report of Arizona Citizen Review Panel, Recommendations to State
The Arizona Citizen Review Panel Program, coordinated by the Center for Applied Behavioral Health Policy, concluded 2010 with the submission of its 12th annual report to the Arizona Department of Economic Security/Division of Children Youth and Families.
The Arizona Citizen Review Panel Program, coordinated by the Center for Applied Behavioral Health Policy, concluded 2010 with the submission of its 12th annual report to the Arizona Department of Economic Security/Division of Children Youth and Families (DCYF). The report contains recommendations developed by state-wide citizen volunteer panels on improvements and system changes to Arizona’s child welfare system, including Child Protective Services (CPS), to ensure protection and well being of Arizona’s children and families. The 12th Annual Report recommends that DCYF: review policies related to medically fragile children and their caregivers to assess complex medical needs and provide critical services; expand the Arizona Court Teams (“Best for Babies”) model throughout the state; and, ensure that CPS supervisors receive performance improvement training in key areas of trauma and grief, and children’s safety threats and risk factors. Finally, the panels strongly recommend that funding for DCYF and other Arizona child welfare agencies not be reduced in 2011 as further cuts will continue to negatively impact the entire child welfare system. To read more of the annual report, click here.
