Frequently Asked Questions

Visit the Contact page on the DCS website.

If you are a licensed foster parent, R21-6-326 requires you to notify DCS and your licensing agency within 24 hours if any of the following incidents occur:

• Injury, illness, change of medication, or medication error that requires medical attention
• Theft of money or property belonging to a foster child
• Significant damage to the property of a foster child
• Injury to others or significant damage to the property of others caused by a foster child
• Using physical restraints to control a foster child’s sudden, out-of-control behavior
• Arrest of a household member or involvement of a household member with law enforcement that does not lead to an arrest
• Household changes that affect the foster parent’s ability to meet the foster child’s needs
• Life-threatening illness, injury, or the death of a household member
• Incidents involving a DCS report or investigation

If you are a licensed foster parent, R21-6-326 requires you to notify DCS and your licensing agency immediately if any of the following incidents occur:

• Death of a foster child
• Unexplained absence of a foster child
• Unauthorized removal or attempted removal of a foster child from the care and supervision of the foster parent
• A serious illness, injury, or mental health crisis of a foster child that requires hospitalization or emergency room treatment
• An allegation or the discovery of a sign of abuse or neglect of a foster child
• Arrest of a foster child or involvement of a foster child with law enforcement that does not lead to an arrest
• Fire or other situation requiring overnight evacuation of the home
• Incidents that involve or are likely to involve the media
• Any other unusual incident that seriously jeopardizes the health, safety, or well-being of a foster child
• Within 24 hours of any of the above noted incidents, licensed foster parents shall complete an Unusual Incident Report form and submit it to their licensing agency.

Unlicensed kinship foster parents are to notify DCS within 2 hours of the following: death of a child or hospitalization (medical or psychiatric), alleged abuse, or other emergency threatening the child’s placement.

Unlicensed kinship foster parents are to notify DCS within 48 hours if the child becomes seriously illness, death of a caregiver, change in family composition, or involvement with law enforcement.

Foster parents are an important resource for helping foster children reunify with their parents.

The visitation plan is developed by the child’s DCS caseworker in collaboration with the child’s parent(s) and the child (if age appropriate). Sometimes the specifics of a visitation plan (for example, frequency or length of visits) are changed by the DCS caseworker in response to a court order. Visitation should occur in the most natural environment possible and with the least level of supervision possible while ensuring the child’s safety.

DCS may request that you transport the child to visits, but if you are not able to provide this transportation, DCS will make alternate arrangements. Having the foster parent transport a child to visits can make visits easier for the child because you are a person the child already knows.

The Department of Child Safety (DCS) should make a referral within 72 hours (2 hours for an urgent need) of a child coming into care, this is called a Rapid Response referral. This is an initial in-home assessment during which clinicians will assess immediate needs and triage any crisis or trauma-related issues. Includes behavioral health assessment, screening for developmental delays, support to child/family placement and connection to ongoing services.

If the child in your care is new to the system and has NOT been assessed within 72 hours, please call Member Services or call the dedicated Rapid Response hotline, 602-633-0763. You can also call this 24/7 hotline to schedule an in-home DCS Stabilization Team visit.

For more information on times lines for services and what to expect, visit https://www.mercycareaz.org/