The proposed bill seeks to amend several sections of the Arizona Revised Statutes related to the Department of Child Safety. Key updates include the introduction of a new requirement for the department to review the management of its case management system, focusing on data accuracy and system errors. Additionally, the bill emphasizes that placing a child with a parent, relative, or significant person in the child's life should be the priority. It also allows the department to conduct unannounced visits and inspections of both group foster homes and kinship foster care settings.

Other changes involve clarifying the documentation process for administering medication and the procedures for contacting law enforcement or medical professionals when a foster child's health is at risk due to medication refusal. The bill also mandates that newly hired child safety workers undergo at least one year of training under the supervision of experienced workers. Furthermore, it modifies existing language to ensure consistency in referring to individuals with significant relationships to the child, enhancing the overall clarity and effectiveness of the statutes.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 8-465, 8-509, 8-514.02, 8-514.03, 8-802, 41-1279.04, 8-503, 41-1758.07, 8-515.03, 41-1750, 92-544, 8-861