Website Privacy Statement

Arizona Department of Child Safety Privacy Statement

Thank you for visiting the Arizona Department of Child Safety’s (DCS) website and reviewing our privacy policy statement, which is required under state law, A.R.S. § 41-4152. The DCS website contains information about services DCS provides and links to outside groups and organizations that partner with our agency. This statement is only intended to inform you about information that could be collected online as a result of visiting the DCS website and not as a result of following a link to a partnering organization’s website or online service. This statement addresses collection, use and security of information that may be obtained through the use of the DCS website. Your rights to privacy are of utmost importance to the Department of Child Safety in building trust and confidence when conducting business through the internet. If you choose not to proceed with an online transaction, your choice will not affect your ability to receive benefits or services another way. If you prefer to request information from us in person, you may still do so at a DCS office.

Collection and Use of Information

Use of Information Provided by the Visitor

When you elect to receive information, the contact information you provide is used for the sole purpose of sending you the requested information. Your contact information is not shared, sold, or otherwise disseminated by Arizona Department of Child Safety. Your information may, however, be shared with DCS contracted providers for the purpose of fulfilling your request, for instance if expressing an interest in becoming a foster or adoptive parent. All DCS contracted providers are bound by a confidentiality clause in their contract not to share any contact information provided to them by DCS.

Information collected from an online application will be treated in a similar manner as if you submitted the information in-person at a DCS office. This information will become a matter of public record pursuant to A.R.S. § 39-121. This means the Department may be required to divulge certain information in response to a public records request or in response to a warrant, subpoena, or other court order. However, if personal information is requested on the website or volunteered by the user, state law and the federal Privacy Act of 1974 may protect it. If you have any questions about how we keep or use these records, please contact DCS directly.

Subscribing to the monthly AZ Thrive Newsletter

Using a sign-up form, Arizona Department of Child Safety requires the email address of visitors who wish to receive the monthly AZ Thrive newsletter. All other form fields are optional.

Unsubscribing to the monthly AZ Thrive Newsletter

You may opt out of the AZ Thrive newsletter at any time by clicking on “unsubscribe”, which is located at the bottom of the email sent to the subscriber.

Subscribing to the weekly Career Opportunities at DCS email

Using a sign-up form, Arizona Department of Child Safety requires the email address, first name and last name of visitors who wish to receive the weekly Career Opportunities at DCS email. All other form fields are optional.

Unsubscribing to the weekly Career Opportunities at DCS email

You may opt out of the Career Opportunities at DCS any time by clicking on “unsubscribe”, which is located at the bottom of the email sent to the subscriber.

Information Collected and Stored Automatically

The Department of Child Safety website uses cookies. Cookies are simple text files stored on your computer by your web browser. Cookies identify your domain name or Internet Protocol address as a method of distinguishing among visitors to the DCS website. Cookies are used by DCS and a third party vendor for marketing purposes and to analyze how users interact with the website. No personally identifiable information is stored in these cookies.

You have the ability to set your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being used.

For embedded videos on the website, cookies are set by third-party providers when you click to play the video.

The web service that hosts Arizona Department of Child Safety does gather certain information about the visit automatically in a standard log file. This information never identifies you personally and consists of only the following items:

  1. The Internet domain (for example, "xcompany.com" if you use a private Internet access account, or "yourschool.edu" if you connect from a university's domain) from which you access the website;
  2. The IP address (an IP address is a number that is automatically assigned to your computer whenever you are surfing the Web) from which you access the website; and
  3. The date and time of your access.

We do not automatically record information about you as an individual.

Security

The Department of Child Safety has taken several steps to safeguard the integrity of its computer systems and networks, including, but not limited to: individual authentication; the security of transmitted data; security monitoring; auditing; and encryption of your information. Security methods and measures have been integrated into the design, implementation and day-to-day practices of the entire DCS website.

Kids Privacy

By statute, all State agencies must comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Policy Protection Act of 1998 ("COPPA"), requiring parental consent before collecting any personal information from any individual under the age of 13. The text of COPPA is available at http://www.ftc.gov/ogc/coppa1.htm

External Links Disclaimer

The Department of Child Safety website contains links to various websites operated by other government agencies, nonprofit organizations and private businesses. When you follow a link to another website, you will be taken to a site that is no longer controlled by DCS. This privacy statement does not apply to other sites. When you link to an external website, you are subject to the privacy policy of that new site. Links to websites outside of state government are offered solely for your convenience. Providing an outside link does not constitute an endorsement from DCS and are not a recommendation of any service, product or organization.

Neither the State of Arizona, nor any state agency, officer, employee, or contractor of the State of Arizona warrants the accuracy, reliability, or timeliness of any information published by external sites and shall not be held liable for any losses caused by reliance on the accuracy, reliability or timeliness of such information. Portions of such information may be inaccurate or outdated. Any person or entity that relies on any information obtained from external sites does so at his or her own risk.

Contact Information

To offer comments about the Arizona Department of Child Safety, or about the information presented in this Privacy Statement, contact the Arizona Department of Child Safety’s Communications Department:

Privacy Statement Is Subject To Change

This Privacy Statement may be updated or revised from time to time, so please check back periodically in order to receive advance notice of any substantive changes to the manner in which the information you disclose on this web site may be collected, used, or disseminated.

Last updated July 2020