Inside DCS: Former caseworker says Arizona's child welfare system is broken | Special Report
PHOENIX - Arizona state lawmakers say changes are coming after a string of child deaths.
Focusing on recent cases with prior Department of Child Safety (DCS) contact and increasing scrutiny of the embattled agency, Arizona leaders believe these tragedies could have been prevented.
The backstory:
Discussions on DCS have intensified at the State Capitol in the aftermath of Zariah Dodd, Emily Pike, and Rebekah Baptiste's deaths.
In Baptiste's case, DCS received several reports of alleged abuse and neglect by her father, Richard Baptiste, and the father's girlfriend, Anicia Woods.
Both Richard and Anicia are charged with Baptiste's murder, but have pleaded not guilty. They are awaiting their trial while in Apache County Jail.
Big picture view:
State Senator Carine Werner, a Republican who represents the state's 4th Legislative District, is the co-chair of the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on DCS. We spoke with her in early September 2025, following a "closed-door" meeting with lawmakers, tribal leaders, DCS and law enforcement to hash out what is wrong with the system.
"Is it clear that children have been failed by the system?" we asked State Sen. Werner.
"The system has failed children, absolutely," State Sen. Werner replied. "When you have kids who are in state care or tribal care, their version of DCS, these kids didn't get there for anything that they did. They were failed by a parent or an adult who abused or neglected or traumatized that child in some way that led them on the path to going into care."
"Where are the major gaps in communication with DCS? Because that's who everyone is asking about. What is going on with this agency?" we asked State Sen. Werner.
"So, DCS follows rule and law very stringently, and one of the things that I have been having conversations with our leadership is that caseworkers be able to expand and really be able to, at least, have conversations, ask questions about things that hit their gut, where they're like, ‘hmm, I have a feeling here, or I think something is wrong’, and go past the check sheet," State Sen. Werner replied.
Arizona Senator Carine Werner
Dig deeper:
Some actions will take effect immediately, such as:
- Clearer rules on how group homes are required to notify DCS and law enforcement once a child runs away.
- Re-established meetings between tribal nations and DCS
- Critical information packets for authorities: essentially a "face sheet" with a breakdown on missing child, including kids in tribal custody who have been placed in DCS-licensed homes.
"So, with the tribes now sharing information about a child, it will make it better for them, in the way that they're ensuring that they are getting proper treatment, they have an understanding of the trauma that this child has gone through," said State Sen. Werner.
Addressing the issue of child sex trafficking is also top-of-mind, with more training for group home employees.
"One of the things we put into the budget in the '25 session was an appropriation so that DCS group home staff are trained in sex trafficking, so that they can see the signs and also have a higher level of awareness of what these children are susceptible to, just because of the trauma they've experienced and being in state care," State Sen. Werner said.
Former DCS worker weighs in
The other side:
We have made multiple requests to interview DCS Director Kathryn Ptak, but have yet to receive a response.
Meanwhile, we spoke with a former DCS child safety specialist who said the system is broken.
"I've called the hotline probably at least a hundred times in my career, and a lot of those calls never got followed up on," said Brooke Schapiro, referring to DCS's 24/7 hotline to report child abuse or neglect.
Schapiro worked as a DCS caseworker from 2019 to 2022. For context, during the state's 2021 fiscal year, there were 13,581 kids under the age of 18 in out-of-home foster care. According to DCS data, that is almost double the number of kids in state custody as of July 2025 (7,281)
Between child placements in group homes and foster homes, Schapiro said her caseload was overwhelming. During the state's 2025 fiscal year, the average out-of-home caseload per full-time employee was 15. However, Schapiro said each case can include several children.
"At the height, I had 75 kids," Schapiro recounted.
"How do you manage that?" we asked Schapiro.
"Working weekends, working overtime," Schapiro replied. "It got heavy. It's not an easy job by any means. I knew at the end of the day, I would enter my case notes, so I did what I could that day, and then enter all the notes, so it's all documented."
Former Arizona Dept. of Child Safety caseworker, Brooke Schapiro
We asked Schapiro why kids run away.
"I think as a teenager, any normal teenager wants to have some control over their life. They want to feel seen and loved and have a space that's their own. So, when you're living in a shared room with another minor, that's hard. On top of that, when staff aren't trained or empathetic to a child's trauma, that takes a toll," Schapiro replied.
Schapiro has paid close attention to recent tragedies linked to DCS.
"Without a doubt, I think major changes need to happen to the child welfare system," Schapiro said. "For the children, for families, for future generations and for caseworkers, honestly. I think I saw a lot of people that really loved making a difference and ensuring child well-being that ended up leaving. It's like the system breaks you down."
Schapiro left DCS in March 2022.
"I remember one child. She was young, but I had her the whole time I worked there, and she looked at me and said, ‘but nobody's going to fight for me anymore,'" Schapiro recounted.
Schapiro has some advice for caseworkers who are still at DCS.
"Advocate for change," Schapiro said. "Remember, no one gets into DCS casework just as a simple job. You get into it because you care. It's hard. It is hard to be in a role as an advocate, as a person that wants good for children and families, and to have to face systemic barriers."