Improved Pay, Training Among Recommendations For Department Of Child Safety

By Bret Jaspers
Published: Friday, September 29, 2017 - 4:24pm
Updated: Friday, September 29, 2017 - 4:34pm

A new audit of the Arizona Department of Child Safety shows turnover across the agency around 30 percent for the last two years.

The report comes from the state Auditor General’s Office. It said at the Child Safety agency, turnover for all employees for fiscal year 2016 was 30.1 percent. In fiscal year 2017, it was 28.7 percent. The rate of turnover specifically for case aides in fiscal year 2017 was about 35 percent.

The auditor had several recommendations to reduce turnover, like improving pay and peer support.

In response to the audit, the Department of Child Safety said it’s working on changing the pay structure and improving training and coaching, among other plans.

In a letter, the director of the Department of Child Safety, Gregory McKay, wrote, “The Department appreciates that the Auditor General’s Office agrees with the Department and recognizes that adequate compensation is an issue.”