Child abuse and neglect are preventable. Arizona must shift from a crisis-response system to a prevention-first approach.

• Invest in Prevention & Family Support
• Increase and sustain funding for community-based prevention programs, including Family Resource Centers and early childhood home visiting
• Shift public systems toward prevention-first responses that support families before crises occur

Economic stress is one of the strongest predictors of child maltreatment. When families can meet basic needs, children are safer.

• Protect AHCCCS and KidsCare and prevent enrollment loss due to funding cuts or administrative barriers
• Protect and strengthen access to SNAP, TANF, and nutrition programs
• Ensure poverty alone is not treated as neglect, and connect families to concrete supports rather than DCS involvement

Child care is a core prevention strategy. Stable, affordable child care reduces family stress, supports employment, and promotes healthy development.

• Increase the number of child care slots, especially in rural and underserved communities
• Invest in the Child Care Assistance Program and reduce waitlists
• Sustain funding for early childhood systems, including First Things First
• Support a stable, fairly compensated child care workforce

Paid leave is a proven child abuse prevention strategy that supports bonding, health, and family stability.

• Establish paid family and medical leave so parents can bond with a new child or care for a loved one without risking financial instability
• Recognize paid leave as a proven child abuse prevention strategy

Housing instability is a major driver of child welfare involvement.

• Prevent evictions, particularly for families with infants and young children
• Expand access to housing supports for pregnant people and families with young children
• Improve coordination across housing, early childhood, health, and family support systems

Over-reporting diverts limited child welfare resources away from children in real danger and unnecessarily harms families.

• Strengthen mandated reporter training to improve report accuracy
• Create community-based pathways to connect families with supports instead of investigations
• Clarify in law and practice that poverty alone does not constitute neglect 

Prevention education is essential to protecting children before abuse occurs.

• Expand evidence-based child sexual abuse prevention education across schools and youth-serving settings

Family mental health and substance use challenges must be addressed with care—not punishment.

• Increase access to school-based counselors, social workers, and behavioral health services
• Support family-centered, trauma-informed substance use and mental health services

• Increased funding for CBCAP, CAPTA, and prevention-focused child welfare programs
• Title IV-B and IV-E reforms that expand family support services
• Expanded Child Tax Credit and other economic supports proven to reduce child welfare involvement

• The use of disciplinary and intervention practices that are research-informed and shown to improve child and family safety
• Decision-making processes that prioritize thorough assessment of family needs and underlying challenges before considering child removal
• Child welfare response systems that use initial safety screening and triage to ensure families receive the most appropriate and effective level of support
• Substance use policies that rely on individualized assessment, medical guidance, and established scientific standards to inform testing and intervention decision