Children’s Rights retained Paul Zurek of Cornerstone Research in a pro bono matter involving Arizona’s foster care system.
Retained by Children’s Rights
Children’s Rights, a national advocacy organization, retained Paul Zurek of Cornerstone Research in a pro bono matter involving Arizona’s foster care system. In the course of the litigation, Dr. Zurek submitted two expert reports and a rebuttal report, and was deposed.
Dr. Zurek and Cornerstone Research analyzed various data sets that contained foster care records for over 60,000 children in Arizona’s foster care system.
In a settlement approved by the court, the Arizona Department of Child Services (DCS) agreed to expand the behavioral and physical healthcare services provided to children in the system, to maximize the placement of children in family-like settings, and to ensure case managers have sufficient time to make sure children receive the services and interventions they need.
The named plaintiffs, 10 minors, filed suit on behalf of 16,000 children in state foster care. The lawsuit alleged that DCS was not providing adequate resources to manage the foster care system in Arizona. Plaintiffs specifically claimed that children in foster care were not receiving the regular and timely medical care required by DCS’s own guidelines and that DCS failed to investigate reports of maltreatment in a timely manner.
Dr. Zurek and Cornerstone Research analyzed various data sets that contained foster care records for over 60,000 children in Arizona’s foster care system in a multiyear effort.
In February 2021, the court approved the settlement reached by the parties.
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