Calls to DCS decline since schools closed, yet child removals increase

Calls to the state’s child-abuse hotline have dropped 27% since schools switched to virtual classrooms, but the rate of child removals due to neglect and abuse has not followed suit: In April, the 12% removal rate was the highest point since last summer.

Officials with the Arizona Department of Child Safety didn’t have an immediate explanation, saying they’d need to study the calls that are coming in.

But others suggested the opposing trend lines could indicate that while more serious allegations of abuse and neglect are getting on the state’s radar, less-serious concerns that wouldn’t lead to removal in normal circumstances aren’t being reported.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, say some child-welfare advocates.

“A lot of these calls are unnecessary, especially calls from schools,” said Nora McCarthy, director of Rise, a parent-advocacy organization based in New York City.

Many of the reports to child-abuse hotlines are for neglect, which she argues can be better addressed by connecting families with the help they need rather than subjecting them to the investigation that a call to the state triggers.

Community role

Claire Louge, executive director of Prevent Child Abuse Arizona, said the numbers suggest lower-level complaints that typically result in service referrals, instead of child removals, are not being addressed. That drives up the percentage of abuse calls that get attention.

If DCS is not getting reports about potentially troublesome family situations, others need to step in, she said.

“It’s up to us, as community members, to recognize when a family is showing signs of stress,” Louge said.

A friendly, well-intentioned overture to a parent might address concerns before they grow into a problem that would prompt a call to the childabuse hotline, she said.

She and others working on a collaborative approach to child-welfare issues have developed a resource guide

to direct families to help, such as food or rent assistance, or counselors to help talk through stress.

Who’s watching the kids?

DCS Director Mike Faust touts the resource guide as well; he was part of the effort that developed it, with an eye to addressing strains caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

He worries about what is going on in homes where kids don’t have other adults who see them.

“I’ve seen some tough, tough things in the last 12 weeks,” he said earlier this month. “It breaks my heart.”

He urges anyone who suspects child abuse or neglect to call the state’s hotline, 1-888-SOS-CHILD. That’s more important now, he said, since calls from educators have plummeted nearly 90% since schools closed in mid-March. Typically, school personnel, such as teachers, counselors and principals, are the second-largest group of mandatory reporters after law enforcement.

The drop-off was abrupt. On March 13, even before schools officially closed, the hotline logged only 30 calls from educators, down from 499 on the same date a year earlier, DCS statistics show. That’s a 94% decrease.

Overall, hotline calls were down 30% for the second half of March, 29% in April and 23% in May, when compared to the same months a year earlier.

“That’s just crushing,” Faust said of the statistics. “There are kids in the community who are being abused or neglected simply because of the fact that they’re not in the public eye.”

Groups step in

In response, a group of former childwelfare workers launched a grassroots effort in the spring to raise public awareness of the potential for child abuse and neglect during social distancing and to urge people to report suspected cases.

Last month, State Sen. Victoria Steele worked with child-welfare agencies to form the Child Abuse Prevention Initiative.

It focuses on two groups: Kids who need someone to talk to, and adults who interact with kids during the summer, such as coaches, pediatricians and summer-program directors.

While it does promote the state’s child-abuse hotline, Steele said there are other options, especially for people wary that a call to the hotline could result in a child being removed from his home.

“People are afraid of DCS,” said Steele, a Tucson Democrat. “This (initiative) gives people a place to take their suspicions.”

Those places are advocacy centers, such as Childhelp and the Southern Arizona Children’s Advocacy Center. There, children and adults can connect with trauma counselors to sort out their issues and get help, Steele said.

‘Warm lines’ not hotlines

Marie Fordney, executive director of the Tucson-based advocacy center, said with teachers effectively out of the picture since mid-March, the number of children referred to her center for evaluation and counseling dropped.

But as soon as Gov. Doug Ducey lifted his stay-at-home order, and people started circulating more, cases jumped.

By the third week of May, her center was handling 30 referrals, most of them from law enforcement. That was triple what they saw in early May.

Her center, like Childhelp, runs a “warm line” where people can seek counseling and advice.

Phoenix-based Childhelp’s national hotline has been ringing more frequently during the coronavirus pandemic, said Daphne Young, the agency’s communications director. In May, calls nationwide increased 43% from May 2019, continuing an upward trend that started in March.

Not all calls lead to removal

Fordney says people shouldn’t shy away from calling the DCS hotline. She used to believe such a call should be avoided, but she’s changed her viewpoint over the last two years.

“I know that they (DCS) are trying really hard to keep families together,” she said. An investigation can provide a family help, not necessarily separation, she said.

DCS data show about 10% of hotline calls result in children being removed from their homes.

But in April, the first full month since schools closed, that rate ticked up to 12%. DCS has not yet published figures for May.

Louge of Prevent Child Abuse Arizona said that probably indicates DCS is dealing with more-serious issues, while smaller problems are not being reported.

And while a DCS investigation can provide a family help, she argues there’s a role for the community to address stressful family situations before they boil into a hotline call.

“We’re really trying to move upstream,” she said of the combined work of state and private child-welfare agencies. “We don’t want DCS to remove children. They have to, sometimes.

“(But) no one wants children to be abused. It’s not up to DCS to prevent all child abuse — it’s up to all of us.”

Where to get help

A resource guide produced by a collaboration among child-welfare agencies provides contact information for a variety of services, such as financial assistance, housing and health care. It also includes tips on how to approach families who might be stressed due to the pandemic. Find it here: (need to link PDF)

The Southern Arizona Child Advocacy Center staffs a line to field calls about family stress, potential child neglect or abuse. Call at 520-771-2039.

Childhelp staffs an advocacy center that serves the metro Phoenix area. Its hotline is 1-800-422-4453. It also offers text and chat options.

About this report

An ongoing grant from the Arizona Community Foundation funds reporting on child-welfare issues. To keep up with developments affecting Arizona children, subscribe to The Arizona Republic/azcentral