Auditor General flags documentation and timeliness gaps in DCS noncriminal investigations

The Arizona Auditor General presented a special audit of the Department of Child Safety’s handling of noncriminal child abuse and neglect reports and told the House Committee on Government that case documentation and timeliness remain serious problems.

“My office reviewed fiscal year 2024 information and a sample of 125 noncriminal reports,” Jessica Hawkless of the Auditor General’s office said. She said the department reported nearly 160,000 hotline communications in fiscal year 2024, about 42,000 met the criteria for a report and 36,960 were noncriminal reports.

The auditors found multiple shortcomings. Hawkless said investigators often did not provide written notification to alleged perpetrators of their rights and the specific allegations against them and that those notifications were frequently not documented in the department’s case-management system. The audit flagged 115 noncriminal investigations with problems related to notification, including more than 70 missing written allegation notifications and more than 60 instances where documentation was not properly recorded.

Auditors also found that investigators failed to complete or document key investigative activities intended to protect children and gather sufficient evidence, including missing or unreviewed present-danger plans and infant-care plans in some files. The audit identified about 20 cases in the sample where turnover or missing notes made it impossible to verify whether critical steps such as interviews with child victims occurred.

The report raised concerns about prolonged investigations. Hawkless said investigators sometimes did not enter investigation findings within the 45 days required by statute and did not complete family-functioning assessments within department policy timeframes; some noncriminal investigations were not closed within the department’s 60-day goal. The auditors cited an example in which a case took 144 days to close and a police report did not arrive until nine months after closure.

Auditors contracted with the Child Welfare League of America for an independent review; CWLA concluded the department’s policies establish appropriate standards when followed, but the audit found those policies were not reliably followed or documented. The auditors recommended 15 changes, including requiring documented verbal and written notices to individuals under investigation, tracking the impacts of staff turnover on documentation and timeliness, and systematically recording causes of delay.

Lindsey Perry, the Auditor General for the record, told members the office does not select samples to statistically project to the full population; instead, auditors choose samples that provide evidence about processes. “What we found is that the department has good policies and procedures, but sometimes they were not following them,” Perry said.

Committee members pressed staff about staffing levels and vacancy rates; auditors said investigative positions were substantially understaffed in some counties and that turnover contributed to missing documentation. Hawkless said the department agreed with the findings and plans to implement or implement differently the recommended reforms; the Auditor General’s office will report on implementation in a six-month follow-up.

The committee’s discussion repeatedly returned to the consequences of missing documentation — auditors emphasized that absent records it is impossible to determine whether required investigative steps occurred.

The Auditor General’s presentation prompted several members to request additional materials, and some members said the committee may use subpoena authority in future oversight work if necessary to obtain procurement or payment records related to DCS contracts.

The committee did not take an agency-level action during the audit presentation; members asked for follow-up information and said they planned continued oversight.