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Did the Arizona Department of Child Safety try to bar parents from criticizing it?

Introduction

The Department of Child Safety has tried to limit freedom of speech in Arizona, according to a new policy proposed in April and rescinded a month later. The policy would have required parents who wanted access to records about their children to get special permission before speaking out against DCS actions or policies. Now that the department says it’s reviewing its current policies, some wonder whether it will try again. This could happen if new requirements for private contractors hired by DCS are approved by lawmakers this session.

A new policy by the Department of Child Safety

The Department of Child Safety (DCS) is a government agency that investigates reports of child abuse and neglect in Arizona. It employs private contractors to conduct investigations, which can be lengthy, expensive, and emotionally draining for parents who are being investigated.

A new policy by DCS would have barred the parents of children from speaking out unless they got special permission in advance. This policy was revealed at a hearing on a lawsuit brought against DCS challenging its system for hiring private contractors to investigate allegations of child abuse and neglect.

The new policy, proposed in April and rescinded a month later, came to light at a hearing on a lawsuit brought against the state challenging its system for hiring private contractors to investigate allegations of child abuse and neglect. The Arizona Republic reported on it Monday.

“This is a significant change,” said Judge Joseph Kreamer, who heard arguments in favor of keeping DCS’s current standards in place. “It appears that what they’re doing is trying to take away our rights”.

The company was not hiring licensed social workers as required by the contract

In June 2013, the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) awarded a $1.5 million contract to A Better Tomorrow, a company that provides residential care for troubled teens. The contract was intended to help DCS find places where children could be safely placed while they’re removed from their homes by law enforcement officers. However, it soon became clear that A Better Tomorrow wasn’t hiring licensed social workers as required by the contract and so DCS canceled the deal after being alerted by reporters at Reveal News and ProPublica about problems with its recruitment practices and background checks.

In November 2015 Phoenix New Times reported that DCS had hired yet another private contractor called BrightPath Social Services Inc., which provided child welfare services related specifically towards helping kids who needed extra assistance due either directly due abuse or neglectful behavior resulting from abuse/neglect situations involving family members who aren’t necessarily present at home during regular hours but instead choose not to live near each other geographically speaking–but still manage interactions through phone calls once every few days via landline phones only because cellphones weren’t allowed anywhere inside houses due fear they could be used as weapons against both living conditions themselves”.

DCS said it is now developing a new policy

DCS said it is now developing a new policy that would be more specific and clearer about when someone’s rights can be restricted when asking for records.

The agency said it will develop the new policy in consultation with the Arizona Governor’s Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, as well as other agencies. The goal is to ensure parents have access to all information related to their child’s safety plan, including his or her case file, which may include any evidence gathered by DCS staff or law enforcement officers during an investigation into allegations of abuse or neglect by a parent or caretaker relative at home where there are children under age 18 residing with them full time (or part-time).

DCS tried to limit freedom of speech but came to its senses after criticism

The Arizona DCS corruption was caught in an embarrassing situation after trying to prevent parents from criticizing it. DCS has a policy that protects the privacy of children and their families, but this also means that they can’t share too much information about child abuse investigations.

In response to public criticism, DCS changed its policy: now anyone who wants access can request records through an attorney or friend who has been approved by the department (or his/her own lawyer). This new policy won’t stop people from criticizing DCS. But at least you’ll have more options for getting information about how your kids are being treated by those who work there!

Conclusion

It is important to note that DCS does not have a legal right to ask for records from the parents of children under age 12. However, if the children are over this age themselves, DCS can require their parents to provide information about them. This new policy would have restricted the freedom of speech under these circumstances as well. The good news is that DCS has now rescinded this policy and is working on a new one that will be clearer about when someone’s rights can be limited when asking for records.