Category: Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice

Children Thrive in Families, Not Institutions

" Group homes should be a last resort, and I think we should work towards solutions that allow young children and people who have experienced the system to heal from their trauma and not multiply it."  -Young adult who met with CAA to discuss their experiences in group homes

When a child must enter foster care, every placement should reduce trauma and strengthen safety, stability, and connection. The voices of young adults who have experienced foster care and years of research confirm that family-based placements allow for better outcomes for children. Yet, Arizona continues to place children in costly congregate care settings – group homes and other institutions – at a high rate, compared to other states. CAA urges action to change this and we provide this Reducing Arizona’s Reliance on Congregate Care Brief to provide further information about children and congregate care in Arizona.

In Arizona, about one in five children in foster care are placed in congregate care settings, nearly twice the national average (approximately 11%).

Recent Department of Child Safety (DCS) strategic plans and actions demonstrate a commitment to reducing institutional care and expanding family-based alternatives. However, progress has been limited by restricted access to behavioral health services, uneven service capacity across regions, and shortages of foster family homes – challenges that significantly affect child safety, equity, and public spending.

Arizona Places the Highest Share of Young Children in Congregate Care Settings

It should concern all Arizonans that more than any other state in the country, our state places the greatest share of young children in group homes and institutional settings. CAA previously urged legislation to mandate DCS Director Approval for group placements. SB 1458, a CAA priority bill in partnership with Fostering Advocates Arizona, would have required DCS to get Director sign-off on the placement of any child under the age of 12 in a congregate care setting. We continue to advocate for safeguards for our state’s youngest children, including the higher bar of requesting Director approval.

Congregate Care Placements are More Expensive Compared to Family Settings

When a child is placed in a group home or other institutional setting, the cost is about $70,000 per child per year. In comparison, licensed foster family care costs $10,000–$14,000 per year, and unlicensed kinship care costs about $3,600 per year.  More action is needed to promote family-based settings because children have better outcomes with family, not in costly institutions. DCS recently took bold action by increasing – by 50% – the daily rate of financial support for licensed foster families, including licensed kinship foster families, who care for children ages 6 and older. CAA encourages more actions like this including increased financial support for kinship caregivers and restoration of TANF funding for children who are being raised outside of the foster care system by kin under authority of a court order.

CAA Works to Educate Community About Children and Congregate Care in Arizona

CAA works with the media to educate community about challenges facing children in Arizona. Melissa Blasius of ABC 15 reported on group homes, including comments from CAA.

On February 20, 2026, CAA hosted a Community Briefing on Congregate Care. This briefing was held after years of working to reduce the use of congregate care for children in Arizona. We give special thanks to the youth who met with us before the briefing to discuss their own group home experiences and the change they wish for the children who come behind them. We also thank the young adults and the panelists from the Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest and the Arizona Department of Child Safety who participated in our community briefing.

In addition, the Arizona House Government Committee, chaired by Representative Walt Blackman held a hearing on child safety and well-being. Our thanks to Chairman Black for focusing on the safety of Arizona’s children and to Vice Chair Fink for inviting our Executive Director, January Contreras, to testify at this important hearing.

To further educate policymakers and the public, CAA provides this brief on Reducing Arizona’s Reliance on Congregate Care.

Download Brief

Read the briefing to learn more about the experience of youth placed in congregate care settings and why it is important to bring change.

The evidence is clear: children thrive in families, not institutions.

Prevention is Powerful

Children deserve to be safe and healthy with every opportunity to thrive. This is what motivates our work at Children’s Action Alliance to influence policy and budget decisions. Every day policymakers have an opportunity to build supports or obstacles for children. As we recognize Child Abuse Prevention Month in April, we remain committed to policy change that can and does prevent child abuse. 

Here are just some of the powerful ways that policy can protect children: 

  • State SNAP policies that improve and stabilize household resources are associated with reductions in CPS involvement and use of foster care.  
  • Paid family leave reduced reports of infant maltreatment by about 14 percent. 
  • Families with young children are 27% less likely to experience homelessness when they participate in home visiting support. 
  • Targeted tax credits also make a difference. For each additional $1000 in per-child EITC and CTC tax refunds, state-level rates of reported child maltreatment declined in the week of and 4 weeks following refund payments by an overall estimated 5.0%. 

As stated by Prevent Child Abuse America: When we invest in prevention, children grow up safer, families stay together, and communities thrive. Primary prevention focuses on strengthening families early by reducing stress, increasing connection, and ensuring parents have what they need before challenges become crises.

Arizona’s own Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva is working on a bi-partisan bill that would ensure that tribal nations receive more equitable access to federal child abuse prevention funding and allow for programing that is holistic and impactful for the children and families in each tribal community. 

At the Arizona legislature, some bills have passed including Senate Bill 1126 to improve communication between DCS caseworkers and schools, creating access to vital information that can help keep children safe, and Senate Bill1125 to facilitate the sharing of information between tribes and DCS about the placement of children in Tribal custody. Creating greater transparency can make a difference for children. 

Yet, there are still important bills that have yet to make it out of the legislature including House Bill 2041 which creates safeguards so that a family is not separated due to poverty, and Senate Bills 1602 and 1603 which both would ensure more support for grandparents and other kin who step up to care for children in a period of crisis. Policy and budget decisions to protect access to help with groceries through SNAP and access to health care through Medicaid/AHCCCS and other concrete support for families will also make a difference. 

We will keep advocating for the well-being of every child, and we thank you for your role in your own families, work places, and communities. Prevention is powerful in keeping children safe.

Child Poverty Grows, Making Anti-Hunger Services Critical

At a time when key supports, including the country’s most effective hunger prevention programs, are at risk for children and families in Arizona, new data tells us just how critical essential services are for children in need.

According to the supplemental poverty measure, child poverty in Arizona increased from 10% (2019 – 2021) to 14% (2022 – 2024). That increase is tough enough for Arizona children, but it would have been dramatically worse if not for critical programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

A new report from the Annie E Casey Foundation, MEASURING ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITY IN THE UNITED STATES: A 10-Year Update, Supplemental Poverty Measure KIDS COUNT ® Data Snapshot, shares data for policymakers, parents, and organizations and businesses to understand the challenge families are facing to ensure their children have enough to eat, to keep a roof over their head, and to meet their basic needs.

Every year, the Census Bureau issues two methods of analysis of poverty. One is the standard poverty rate, and one is the supplemental poverty measure. The supplemental poverty rate is the only method that considers geographic differences in housing costs and that shows the effects of economic policies put in place by policy makers.

REPORT FINDING: ESSENTIAL SERVICES MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR CHILDREN

↓ In 2021, with federal pandemic relief and an expanded child tax credit in place, the nation’s child poverty rate was 5% — the lowest rate on record.

↗ By 2024, child poverty nearly tripled to 13%, returning to pre-pandemic levels. This troubling increase occurred even though 61% of children in poverty lived in families with at least one working parent, underscoring that wages and supports are not keeping pace with costs

🚨 Without public services, the child poverty rate would have increased to 25% in 2024. Vital services that keep many of our nation’s children out of poverty include: tax credits, Social Security, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), food assistance such as SNAP, and housing subsidies.

REPORT FINDING: MORE CHILDREN WILL LIVE IN POVERTY IF ECONOMIC POLICIES AREN’T IN PLACE TO SUPPORT THEIR BASIC NEEDS

Between 2022–2024, federal and state policies together lowered child poverty rates by 12 percentage points in Arizona. That’s a difference of 191,000 children who would otherwise live in poverty if vital economic supports were not available.

This Data is Especially Alarming as SNAP and WIC Are at Risk

It is important to understand how decisions that are being made in our nation’s capital affect us here in Arizona, including children. Already this year, Congress made steep cuts to Medicaid/AHCCCS health care services and SNAP through the budget reconciliation bill titled One Big Beautiful Bill. Now, even though a contingency reserve fund is available to fund SNAP benefits during an appropriations lapse, the executive branch is refusing to deploy these reserve funds.

As we turn a corner into November, SNAP and WIC assistance may be delayed or unavailable for parents and children who can’t afford groceries, unless the U.S. Department of Agriculture immediately deploys the contingency funds it has available or the executive branch uses its transfer authority to allocate funds to fight hunger or Congress takes action.

Failing to fund SNAP, WIC and other vital supports will add to the difficult struggles of children and families, and will force more children into poverty and hunger. Solutions and action are needed now.

On this #SNAPDayOfAction, we are facing a crucial moment to protect programs like SNAP and WIC, which make a significant difference for thousands of families and children in Arizona to access basic needs.

Read the Full Annie E Casey Data Snapshot
Resources to Help With Food or Donate

Supporting LGBTQ+ Youth in a Time of Change    

LGBTQ+ youth are overrepresented in foster care, with about one in three youth in foster care identifying as LGBTQ+, and often face unique barriers. For this reason, Children’s Action Alliance has long championed equality in policy decisions throughout the foster care system, including family acceptance support and placements for children that are safe and affirming.  

Family Acceptance & Why It Matters  

A key predictor of long-term health and safety is family acceptance of LGBTQ+ youth. Research shows that LGBTQ+ youth with affirming families have lower rates of depression, suicidal behavior, homelessness, and substance abuse, and higher self-esteem and social connectedness. Even when full understanding isn’t yet present, remaining with supportive family or kin, as opposed to entering the foster care or institutional system, can reduce harm and increase well-being.  

Affirming Placements Support LGBTQ+ Youth 

LGBTQ+ children in foster care experience higher rates of trauma, including violence, discrimination, homelessness, institutionalization, and emotional harm. Many experience 10 or more placements, often in group settings, with limited access to supportive adults. The federal Safe and Affirming Placements Rule (effective July 2024) enhances protections for LGBTQ+ youth from discrimination by requiring foster placements that affirm their sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. It also ensures that providers are trained and knowledgeable about the needs of LGBTQ+ youth, and that youth are informed of their right to request an affirming placement. 

   

Recent Changes Undermine Crisis Support and Affirming Care   

What occurs outside of the foster care system also impacts the health and safety of vulnerable youth who are LGBTQ+. Last week, the federal administration announced it would discontinue the LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services program (press 3 option) on the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, effective July 17. Since its launch in 2022, this dedicated service, provided by the Trevor Project and staffed by counselors with lived experience, has provided lifesaving support to approximately 1.3 million LGBTQ+ young people in crisis. In addition, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth in United States v. Skrmetti.  As advocates and community members who care about the well-being of all young people, we must remain informed and engaged about how to support LGBTQ+ youth in environments that limit essential affirming supports and services.    

   

Resources and Information Are Vital  

Pride Month is a time meant to honor the resilience, visibility, and contributions of the LGBTQ+ community. LGBTQ+ youth deserve care that promotes their health and safety, not rollbacks that create greater risks for young people who already face higher rates of suicide and systemic barriers to care. Children’s Action Alliance remains steadfast in its mission to advance systems that protect the safety, dignity, and well-being of all youth.    

Despite these setbacks, LGBTQ+ youth and their families and caregivers are not alone. A strong network of national and local community organizations remains active and ready to provide affirming care and crisis support.  

Resources     

  • 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – 24/7 call, text, or chat support   
  • The Trevor Project – 24/7 crisis line support for LGBTQ+ youth via call, text, chat   
  • Lambda Legal: Safe Havens II is a call to action from youth with experience in child welfare who share their experiences and system improvement recommendations 
  • The National SOGIE Center: A hub for culturally responsive tools and training to support LGBTQ+ youth and their families.  
  • one·n·ten – Empowering social and service programs that promote self-expression, self-acceptance, leadership development, and healthy life choices to youth 

Group Homes – Our Take

You may be seeing the term “group homes” in the news this week. The topic is being discussed due to a budget shortfall to fund group home placements for children in the foster care system in Arizona.

While the executive and legislative branches haggle over process, timing, and dollars, what Children’s Action Alliance would like for them and the public to understand is that the focus should instead be on the children and the policy decisions that will best support them.

This very week, numerous children undoubtedly had something traumatic happen in their lives that caused them to be separated from their families and brought into the custody of the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS).  We owe them our very best temporary solutions to keep them safe from harm until they can be safely reunited with family, whether one or both parents or a kinship caregiver. If these are not options, a safe foster care family is the next best option. For most children, group homes should be the last and rare placement. The data tells us that group home placements, also known as congregate care, do not have the best outcomes for children.

What we really need a hearing on is Arizona’s plan to significantly reduce the number of children who are placed in group homes.

In 2018, the Family First Prevention Services Act was passed with bipartisan congressional support and signed by President Trump. One of the key pillars of the bill was providing prevention services to safely keep families together. Another key pillar was to push states to do better for children by reducing group home placements. Through this legislation, Congress put their money where their mouth is by specifically putting in place a policy that discourages the use of congregate or group care for children and placing a new emphasis on the child’s family and family foster homes. With limited exceptions, the federal government created a policy that will no longer reimburse states for children placed in group care settings for more than two weeks.

Part of the reason DCS has a budget shortfall is that they have not made the transformational changes that other states have made to move away from group home placements. It is time for this meaningful change to happen. Our children deserve better.

Legislators have proposed three bills that CAA is supporting that can make a difference. No one piece of legislation is a silver bullet solution, but we will keep seeking progress.  We encourage you to weigh in through the Request to Speak system or by contacting legislators to share the urgent need for these bills to create change that will better service children.

  • SB1305:  Temporary assistance; child-only case for related kinship caregivers (Sen Shope) Being heard in the House Health and Human Services Committee on Monday, March 24 – Help children stay safely out of the foster care system by supporting grandparents and other relatives to be able to afford to care for them when their parents cannot.
  • SB1333:  Congregate care; dependent children; placement (Sen. Shamp: Carroll, Dunn, et al) Being heard in the House Health and Human Services Committee on Monday, March 24 – Help build accountability for DCS to reduce reliance on group home placement for children.
  • SB1246: Child neglect; exception; financial resources (Sen. Farnsworth) Awaiting Third Read in the House. Prevent the separation of children and families solely due to poverty or lack of financial resources.

Learn more about this issue:

Empowering Kinship Caregivers: A Caregiver Forum

On January 17, 2025, Children Action Alliance (CAA) joined the Seeds Community Center in hosting a powerful forum in Tucson focused on the challenges faced by kinship families. Caregivers shared their personal stories of stepping into parenting roles without adequate support, facing financial struggles, and meeting the complex emotional and behavioral needs of children impacted by trauma. They also discussed concerns about losing access to essential benefits when taking on guardianship or adoption, creating a barrier to long-term stability.  

In Arizona, 57,000 children live in kinship families, many of whom are not in the formal foster care system. The forum highlighted the critical need for sustainable support systems that can help both caregivers and children thrive. CAA is committed to advocating alongside these families and pushing for policies that provide the resources they and the children they care for urgently need. 

Policy Solutions Can and Should Prevent Hunger and Homelessness Among Children and Youth

Every year, National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is recognized intentionally right before Thanksgiving as an opportunity to bring attention to those who do not have a place to call home or know when their next meal will be.

At Children’s Action Alliance (CAA), bringing awareness to the impact of homelessness and food insecurity on children and youth in Arizona is an important part of advocating for solutions that work.

Food Insecurity in Arizona

Source: Feeding America

‘Food insecurity’ is an official term from the United States Department of Agriculture. Food insecurity is when people do not have enough to eat and do not know where their next meal will come from. Food insecurity affects more than 13 million U.S. children.  In Arizona, one in five children are food insecure. Food insecurity is correlated with long-term damage to children’s health and academic success. By kindergarten, food-insecure children are often cognitively, emotionally, and physically behind their food-secure peers. This shows the need for continued awareness for these families who are experiencing difficult times so Arizona can promote growth, development, learning, and overall health, especially for Arizona’s most vulnerable children.

Rising Cost of Food

Consider how the rising price of food impacts families. The national average price of a dozen eggs was $1.53 in March 2020 before pandemic impacts took hold. In August 2024, the average cost of a dozen eggs was $3.82. For one pound of ground chuck beef during this same period, the price rose from $4.11 per pound to $5.64. The rising cost of food significantly impacts children by increasing the risk of food insecurity, particularly for low-income families, as higher prices can force parents to reduce the quantity or quality of food they can provide.

Average Price of Select Goods from October 2004 to October 2024

School Meals Address Child Hunger in Arizona

An avenue to mitigate food insecurity is through school meals. Schools are where children go every day and, for many, a place where they can count on a nutritious meal. School nutrition programs and assistance, including the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Community Eligibility Provision, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and the SUN Bucks Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program, have proven to support children’s health and development. Academically, school meal assistance improves test scores, attendance, and behavior.

In Arizona, the number of children receiving free or reduced-price school meals has increased from 52% in 2022 to 58% in 2023. From January 2023 until June 2024, Arizona used $6.75 million federal dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act to waive the reduced-price fee for school meals through the 2023-2024 school year. This investment in children and families provided about 12 million school meals to families. With the expiration of the federal funding, Arizona's fiscal year 2025 budget had a major win in addressing child hunger with an appropriation of $3.8 million in one-time funding to continue investing in school meals for students with low incomes attending public and charter schools. However, advocacy will be needed again in the next legislative session as this was only a one-time appropriation.  Continuing to increase access to, strengthen, and invest in school meals will further support and improve a child’s health and well-being.

Housing Obstacle for Arizona Families: Evictions are Rising

Hunger and homelessness are intricately linked, profoundly impacting the health and education outcomes of children and families. 57% of children in low-income households also experience high housing costs in Arizona.  Increasing housing costs increase the risk of eviction and homelessness because of the barriers to securing stable housing. The Maricopa County Justice Court recently reported that 7,537 households in Maricopa County alone faced eviction proceedings in their court in September. The last time the number of eviction proceedings was this high in September was more than twenty years ago. Housing instability is associated with stress and trauma consequences to families, and children who have experienced multiple moves or homelessness are more likely to develop various health conditions, including mental health illnesses, respiratory conditions, and infections.

Maricopa County is Seeing the Most Evictions Filed Since 2006

Youth, and Especially Youth Who Have Experienced Foster Care, are at Risk for Homelessness

In addition to rising housing costs, other barriers include limited availability of affordable housing, landlord rejection of housing vouchers, and economic disparities that disproportionately impact certain populations, including youth.

Youth who have experienced foster care are at a high risk of homelessness. In its budget proposal to be decided in the next legislative session, the Arizona Department of Child Safety proposes reducing this risk for youth transitioning to adulthood through an ongoing investment of $434,000 to continue providing stable housing and proper placement to vulnerable youth who are aging out of the foster care system. This investment is important as it aims to increase transitional housing capacity by almost 80%, which reduces the risk of homelessness for young people.

Housing Instability Impacts a Child’s Ability to Thrive

Homelessness, along with food insecurity, is a social determinant of health, according to the World Health Organization - meaning it is an external factor beyond an individual's control that impacts their overall well-being. When children lack a safe place to live or sufficient food to eat, both their physical and mental health are compromised. In 2023, the Arizona Department of Education assessed the impact of homelessness on children's lives, finding that students who are experiencing homelessness experience significantly higher rates of developmental delays, emotional challenges, and academic struggles compared to their housed peers.

Educational Outcomes of Students Who are Homeless vs. Housed in Arizona (SY2022-2023)

During the 2022-2023 school year, assessment data shows a significant difference in educational outcomes between children and youth experiencing homelessness and housed children.  For instance, only 15% of children and youth experiencing homelessness met proficiency standards in English, compared to 30% of all students. Math proficiency was even lower, with just 10% of impacted students meeting expectations, contrasted with 22% statewide. Children experiencing homelessness also faced high dropout rates of 13.4%, and 45% were chronically absent.

Solutions to Homelessness Must Address Disparities

These disparities are also more pronounced among communities of color and LGBTQ+ youth, who are overrepresented in populations that experience homelessness. In the 2022-2023 school year, Black students represented 5.6% of all enrollees, but 13.8% of those who have experienced homelessness, and Native American students made up 4.2% of overall enrolled students, but 11% are impacted by homelessness. LGBTQ+ youth are also overrepresented among young people experiencing homelessness and housing instability, as homelessness often stems from family conflict and discrimination, exposing them to greater mental health risks and safety concerns.

Bringing Awareness to Action

Ending child food insecurity and homelessness must be a national and local health and education priority. The long-lasting negative outcomes of child food insecurity and homelessness translate to not just poor health but also to poor academic and economic outcomes.

Thank you, Kinship Caregivers!

It’s Kinship Caregiver Month, a time to especially honor those who step in to care for children when they need them most. In addition to our applause, let’s also give them policies that support the success of their families.

This year, The Annie E. Casey Foundation has shared information from a new survey of state policies. The report notes that 50% or more of children in foster care were in kinship placements in Arizona, Hawaii, and West Virginia. That makes Arizona one of the top three states in the country for kinship care placement. This is an important advancement for children and families in Arizona.

Our state now has the opportunity and responsibility to keep moving forward in our support of kinship caregivers.

We agree with the report that there are many ways to create equitable support for caregivers, primarily through these three actions:

Let’s give our thanks to kinship caregivers and keep moving forward. Learn more about the solutions and research provided by The Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Arizona’s Group Home Problem – An Opportunity Missed

Click here to watch Fostering Advocates Arizona board member, Jacob Holley, share his lived experience in group homes.

Arizona has a deep group home problem, and it is time that serious steps are taken to address it: the Department of Child Safety's (DCS's) massive over-reliance on harmful and costly group home placements. Our legislative session ended without solutions.

In Arizona, the Department of Child Safety (DCS) has an excessive reliance on group home placements, which can be harmful and expensive.  The state has the nation’s third highest rate of “congregate care” placements for foster children of all ages and places more young foster children, those under age 12, in congregate care than any other state. Congregate care includes group homes, shelters, and institutions. Experts agree that congregate care placements are harmful to the healthy development of children—especially young children—and that congregate care should only be used when there is no less restrictive setting to meet a child’s short-term need for therapeutic services.

The understanding of the harms of group care is so universal that Congress passed the Families First Family Prevention Services Act, which greatly reduces the availability of federal funds for congregate care placements. Under the Act, which went into effect in 2021, states are only reimbursed for congregate care placements for the first 14 days unless the placement is a designated Qualified Residential Treatment Program that a court has determined the child requires to meet a short-term therapeutic need. The same year that Families First went into effect, DCS settled a lawsuit that, among other things, called out Arizona’s overuse of congregate care. The settlement agreement in B.K. v. Faust, which is overseen by the court, requires DCS to take steps to reduce its use of congregate care to 10.5%, the national average, when the settlement was reached in 2021.  

Despite these two powerful incentives to reduce group care, Arizona’s rate of congregate care placements has not budged. In fact, it has gone up and with the loss of federal reimbursement dollars, the high cost of group care is straining the state’s general fund and the agency’s budget to the tune of a $22.6M shortfall, leaving few financial resources to support families and prevent the need for foster care in the first place.  

For years, DCS’s plan to reduce the use of congregate care has centered around increasing the number of foster children placed with relatives and, to a lesser extent, also increasing the number of community foster homes. A “kin-first” culture is hugely important to supporting children and to reducing the use of congregate care, and, with advocacy by Children’s Action Alliance and many others, big advancements have been made in Arizona to better support kinship caregivers. However, Arizona now places children with relatives at one of the highest rates in the nation, and that strategy on its own has not and is unlikely to stem the use of group placements.  

Additional strategies to reduce group care are available and used with success by other jurisdictions. One of those strategies is instituting DCS Director Approval for group placements. SB 1458, a CAA priority bill in partnership with Fostering Advocates Arizona, would have required DCS to get Director sign-off on the placement of any child under the age of 12 in a congregate care setting. (Remember, Arizona is an outlier, placing young children in congregate care at a rate of 11% while the national average is 3%.) Director approval, which helped the City of Philadelphia go from 1,000 children in group homes to just 255, is a strategy included in the Ending the Need for Group Placements Initiative led by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Casey Family Programs. The initiative has identified seven levers that have helped states reduce the use of congregate care. DCS is currently pulling just two of those levers. SB 1458 would have added a third, but the bill died on the House Floor in the face of opposition from the agency.  

It is time for Arizona to get serious about reducing group care. Doubling down on strategies that on their own have done nothing to reduce Arizona’s use of congregate care is certainly not enough for nearly 1,300 foster children currently in these placements, including approximately 350 children under the age of 12. DCS should be partnering with experts and jurisdictions that have successfully reduced congregate care populations and should be pulling every lever available. Arizona’s foster children deserve nothing less.