Legislature Approves Major CPS Reforms

(State Capitol, Phoenix) – Spurred by the tragic and unnecessary deaths of three Tucson children, Reps. Jonathan Paton and Kirk Adams set out to reform Child Protective Services.

Their efforts culminated in the passage of four bills Thursday. HB2453, HB2454, HB2455 and HB2159 are all on their way to the governor for her signature.

Most significant of the package, HB2454 opens the CPS records of those children who are killed or seriously injured. Currently, the public must sue CPS to obtain the records, a costly and sometimes prohibitive process.

Another important reform affects all state employees. HB2159 opens all disciplinary records of state employees. This reform came about because some CPS workers who had been disciplined escaped public scrutiny because the records were not available.

HB2453 opens some court proceedings to add another layer of accountability.

“These reforms are meant to do one thing: Protect children,” Paton, R-Tucson, said. “Only by shining the light on CPS can we hope to prevent further deaths.”

“The action, and sometimes the inaction, of CPS raised a lot of concerns and the agency only made changes after their failures came to light,” Adams said. “It clearly shows the more people know about CPS the safer our children will be.”

The reforms came about after the deaths of three children in the Tucson area even after contact with CPS. The bills are supported by open government advocates, the media and child advocacy groups.