It is a sad fact that as of February 2024 there are 10,900 children in foster care in the state of Arizona. These children desperately need our love and support. The Arizona Republic published these alarming statistics about the plight of foster children in Arizona from reports by Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS):
The Children’s Defense Fund reports that one child in Arizona is abused every 2 hours with child neglect the most prevalent form of child maltreatment. It is believed that once neglected and maltreated children are removed from the abusive environment they are living in, life becomes better for them and they can look forward to a “normal” childhood. This is not always the case. When a child goes into state protective custody and into foster care, a whole new world of problems opens up for them as they find themselves helpless and isolated from their family and siblings. This challenging journey through foster care often results in multiple moves that further impact the child’s healthy development through family instability, emotional trauma and inconsistent care giving.
Arizonans for Children is dedicated to improving this deplorable situation. By supporting Arizonans for Children, you can help improve the lives of these children and make our community a better place for all of us to live
Arizona Department of Health Services Child Fatality Review Annual Report –
The Arizona Child Fatality Review Program’s (CFRP) goal is to reduce child deaths in Arizona by conducting a comprehensive review of all child deaths to determine what steps could have been taken, if any, to prevent each child’s death. In 2021, 863 children died in Arizona, an increase from 838 deaths in 2020. The leading causes of death were prematurity, congenital anomalies, motor vehicle crashes, firearm injuries, and suffocation.
Of the 863 deaths, 410 (48%) were determined to be preventable by the local review teams. The three most common causes of preventable death were motor vehicle crashes, firearm injuries, and suffocation. In 43% of the preventable deaths, substance use was a contributing factor, and in 33% of these deaths, poverty was a risk factor.
Arizona’s abuse/neglect mortality rate increased 36.2% from 5.8 in 2020 to 7.9 in 2021. Of the 128 children who died in 2021 from abuse/neglect, substance use was a contributing factor in
59% of the deaths, and the child’s families had prior involvement with a CPS agency in 46% of the deaths. In 2021, 31 Arizona children died from COVID-19 and 61% of these children were less than 12 years old. There were also 27 deaths where COVID-19 indirectly caused or contributed to the child’s death, and 56% of these children were less than 12 years old.
More details can be found in the full report here.