The Attorney General’s Office works closely with the Department of Economic Security and the Department of Child Safety to protect children, their safety and well-being. The Child and Family Protection Division is full of compassionate and hardworking attorneys who provide high-quality legal representation to promote the safety, health and self-sufficiency of children, vulnerable adults and families.
Protecting children and strengthening families
approximately 7,000 cases impacting
11,780 children in Arizona, 2022
The Protective Services Section provides legal advice and representation to The Department of Child Safety (DCS) in cases where children have been neglected or abused. The primary objective of each case is to safely reunify families or, if reunification is not possible, find safe, permanent caregivers for each child. The path to permanency requires frequent hearings and litigation to ensure that children do not linger in out of home care. Attorneys participated in about 50,600 hearings and trials this year. With the well-being of children and families at stake, cases in the protective services section directly impact a family’s life. We are doing more than simply practicing law; we are making a difference.
Helping to maintain a financial framework for families
approximately 12,900
child support services cases in 2022
The Child Support Services Section works across the state in coordination with the Department of Economic Security (DES) to ensure children receive financial support from both parents. Efforts from the Attorney General’s Office support the mission of DES to both reimburse public funds and to help increase parental involvement with their children, by way of financial support. CSS attorneys litigate cases of paternity establishment, child support order establishment, child support modification, child support enforcement, or other appropriate litigation.
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Supporting public assistance programs
The Civil and Criminal Litigation and Advice Section (CLA) provides representation to DES and the DCS in civil, administrative, and criminal proceedings. Attorneys appear in court on civil matters and maintain a busy administrative hearing schedule appearing before the DES Office of Appeals, the Office of Administrative Hearings, and the State Personnel Board. CLA also prosecutes individuals who defraud the State through DES public benefits programs. CLA provides complex, time-sensitive legal advice regarding state and federal law governing DES and DCS programs as well as in matters pertaining to agency operations, including contracts and procurement, employment law, public records law, agency policies, proposed rule changes, and proposed legislation.
Join our team
Attorneys throughout CFPD are engaging in meaningful work, utilizing their legal skills and training to benefit the public interest while working in a collaborative setting that provides opportunity for professional development, increased responsibility, and learning new practice areas. Attorneys of all experience levels are encouraged to APPLY.