For the first time in over two years, more children are leaving DCS care than coming into the system.
According to the Arizona Department of Child Safety, 3,276 children left care and 2,881 new children entered from April to June.
Officials say that means more children are going to forever homes through adoption or family reunification. They credit a recent reorganization of the child welfare agency.
As of May 2016, DCS had 18,622 children in in-state protective custody, which is a slight decline in total numbers.
DCS says it has also reduced the number of backlogged abuse and neglect reports by 61 percent since 2015.
“We are committed to setting goals, reaching them, and then setting them higher. In the end, this will have brought the best outcomes for our children,” DCS Director Greg McKay said.
This comes on the heels troubling events for the agency. The agency admitted prior involvement with two mothers now accused of murdering their own kids.
