PHOENIX β Six state workers associated with having nearly 6,600 reports of child abuse ignored were fired today.
Charles Flanagan, head of the new Division of Child Welfare and Family Services, said five were people working for him who were found to have been instrumental in crafting and implementing a policy that resulted in ignoring state laws which require all complaints be investigated. Clarence Carter, director of the Department of Economic Security, fired a sixth who had some oversight of child welfare when it was part of DES.
Flanagan said the firing came after review of an extensive investigation conducted by the state Department of Public Safety of exactly who was accountable for ignoring the law. He said these are the people most responsible.
But Flanagan said that DPS report found no evidence that Carter, who had the child welfare responsibilities removed from him last year by Gov. Jan Brewer, knew of the unofficial policy of marking cases NI, as in "not for investigation."
That apparently satisfied the governor: Press aide Andrew Wilder said Carter remains a part of the Brewer administration.
