Senate committee recommends confirmation of Catherine Ptak to lead Arizona Department of Child Safety

Catherine Ptak, the Department of Child Safety's general counsel and a former deputy general counsel, was recommended to the full Arizona Senate on a 5-0 vote Thursday after a confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Director Nominations.

Ptak told the committee she aims to continue a recent agency push to reduce the number of children in out-of-home care and to improve case quality. "We will always use data to drive decision making, to adapt and improve, to provide better outcomes for families," Ptak said in her opening remarks.

The committee's questioning focused on operational and oversight issues at the agency, including staffing and training for child safety specialists, the state’s new child-welfare data system and the availability of behavioral-health beds and services for children in custody. Several senators pressed Ptak on the department’s response to high-profile incidents and longstanding audit findings.

Why it matters: The Department of Child Safety has the authority to remove children from homes and place them in state custody; senators said that responsibility requires stable leadership and better compliance with court and audit requirements. Committee members asked Ptak to provide follow-up material on a list of action items and to outline a mission-level plan for addressing disclosure and due-process concerns raised by judges and stakeholders.

Key details from the hearing

- Agency metrics and goals: Ptak said agency leadership has reduced the out-of-home care population from about 19,000 children a decade ago to under 8,000 today and told senators the priority is placing more children in "family-like settings." She said about 1,400 children remain in congregate care and that increasing family placements is a top priority.

- Data system problems: Senators questioned Ptak about the department's Guardian case-management system, which replaced an older system called Childs. Ptak acknowledged disclosure and production problems following Guardian's rollout in 2021 and said the department has worked with vendors to fix reporting and document-access issues. She said the agency has met with parent attorneys and was developing tailored reports to provide parties with relevant case records.

- Audits and court concerns: Public commenters and senators cited the Auditor General and Maricopa County judges, saying the agency has not fully implemented prior audit recommendations and that case-timeliness and disclosure remain problems. Lori Ford, head of the AZDCS Oversight Group, quoted Maricopa County Presiding Judge Welty as saying judges have been "forced to ignore the law on the timing of cases" and criticized the department's $86 million data system as failing parents and children. Ptak said the department uses a continuous-improvement approach and has teams conducting serious critical-incident reviews to learn system-level causes when casework failures occur.

- Behavioral health and placements: Senators and public commenters pressed Ptak about access to behavioral-health beds and services. Ptak described integration of behavioral health into the department's children's health plan and said the agency is working with MercyCare and community partners to expand access, including incentives for participation in substance-use treatment and requirements that caregivers keep Narcan available.

- Group-home oversight and drug testing: Senator questions referenced HB 2480 (as cited in the hearing), which requires random drug testing for employees in certain facilities. Ptak said the department amended contracts to require random testing of contracted providers and that licensing reviews include that requirement; she said a small number of facilities with other contracting arrangements remain outside that contractual change.

Public testimony and stakeholder views

- Support: Jacob Holly, a former foster youth and advocate, told the committee Ptak "showed up not just to speak but to listen" during stakeholder meetings and urged confirmation.

- Criticism: Lori Ford of the AZDCS Oversight Group said judges and parents continue to face disclosure and timeliness problems and quoted Maricopa County Presiding Judge Welty to argue the system "has been found to violate due processes with nondisclosure issues." Jeff Taylor, who described work with the Salvation Army, said he had observed Ptak's leadership and said she "makes DCS employees feel supported yet are held accountable."

Votes at a glance: The committee voted 5-0 to recommend confirmation of Catherine Ray Ptak as director of the Arizona Department of Child Safety. Senators recorded voting "aye" were Senator Bravo, Senator Kavanaugh, Senator Ortiz, Senator Ashok, and Chairman Hoffman.

What the committee asked next: Committee members asked Ptak to compile follow-up materials on several items raised during questioning, including the status of contract amendments and random testing implementation, Guardian disclosure fixes and a written mission/objective describing how she will ensure compliance with court timelines and audit recommendations. Committee leadership said they will circulate the requested information to members.

Context and next steps

The committee's recommendation moves the nomination to the full Senate for a confirmation vote. Several senators emphasized they want written deliverables from Ptak on audit and disclosure issues before the full Senate acts. Ptak said she supports transparency and the department's use of data and continuous-quality improvement and that she intends to remain engaged with field staff and stakeholders while addressing the department's outstanding audit and court concerns.