Arizona's child abuse hotline is once again overwhelmed with missed calls and long wait times, facing the same systemic problems that have plagued the state's child welfare system going back more than a decade, according to video-recorded testimony from top insiders obtained by the ABC15 Investigators.
The sworn testimony comes from depositions in a 2018 court case involving a 7-year-old foster child. The lawsuit claims the child was sexually abused after the Arizona Department of Child Safety placed her in a home with a convicted sex offender. The state paid $3.5 million to settle the case.
Greg McKay, who led the department for four and a half years from 2015 to 2019, testified that when he took over, "the child abuse hotline had a very abysmal record of receiving incoming allegations of abuse and neglect for children."
"The call hold times were so long that a third of callers hung up before even completing the call to the hotline. So that was broken," McKay said in his deposition.
McKay claimed he fixed the problems, saying the hotline "became the national model" after his reforms. However, the DCS hotline is now back under scrutiny for some of the same failures exposed in the depositions.
"It's the same agency and the same problems, the same broken system," said attorney Robert Pastor, who filed the 2018 lawsuit and conducted the depositions.
Pastor said information comes into the hotline and DCS, "but they are not processing it. They're not assessing it."
Recent case highlights ongoing problems
Issues with the hotline were recently brought to light in the case of 10-year-old Rebekah Baptiste, who deputies say was tortured and killed in eastern Arizona earlier this year. Her father and his girlfriend are now charged with her murder.
Rebekah's school says they called the DCS hotline at least a dozen times to report concerns about her safety, but DCS says it only had five recent investigations into the family.
In an interview with ABC15 in September, current DCS Director Kathryn Ptak questioned why some of the hotline calls in Rebekah's case weren't given a higher priority.
"I think there are some communication gaps, certainly, that happened here," Ptak said.
DCS employee says problems dated back to 2008
According to another deposition that was not video recorded, Alicia Essayli, a senior leader who oversaw the DCS hotline when she gave testimony in the 2018 case, described long wait times at the hotline and far too many callers hanging up before reaching help, dating back as far as 2008.
“So, it started getting bad in 2008, 2009, and it continued through 2013, when it really became -- the public -- the public became more aware of it,” Essayli said, according to the deposition transcript.
"This has been a persistent problem," Pastor said.
Pastor said while it's encouraging that legislators are talking about addressing the issues, "leadership at DCS is not being very honest because these issues have existed for 10, 20 years at least."
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Current crisis acknowledged
DCS acknowledged in a statement that the hotline is currently overwhelmed: "Over the past several months, the Department of Child Safety has experienced a significant increase in call volume to the DCS Hotline, an increase that has grown beyond our current capacity."
The agency points to recent media coverage as part of the reason for increased call volume and says it's looking at ways to increase staffing. For now, they're encouraging people to file reports online to free up operators.
Arizona lawmakers say they're pushing for hotline reforms in the upcoming legislative session.
Read the Arizona Department of Child Safety’s full statement below:
"Ensuring that every child safety concern is answered quickly and effectively is one of our top priorities.
Over the past several months, the Department of Child Safety (DCS) has experienced a significant increase in call volume to the DCS Hotline, an increase that has grown beyond our current capacity. Recent media attention has also contributed to higher call traffic, as more individuals are reaching out to report concerns or seek information. While we appreciate the heightened public engagement, the surge has placed additional strain on our system.
We understand the critical importance of timely reporting, and we are currently evaluating options to increase staffing for the Hotline to help offset the impact of rising call numbers.
To help our team manage the increased demand, we encourage mandatory reporters, and others who are eligible, to use our online reporting system. You can find the system here [guardian.dynamics365portals.us]. Submitting reports online allows for a streamlined reporting and submission process. Additionally, the reporting party receives a confirmation that their submission was received, as well as notification of the result of their submission, and helps free up Hotline staff time to respond more quickly to callers.
The Department remains committed to transparency, accountability, and ensuring that every child in Arizona is safe and supported. We appreciate the community’s continued partnership and patience as we work to strengthen our Hotline capacity."
