AZ SB1224

Amends Arizona Revised Statutes Section 8-817 to require the Department of Child Safety to develop initial screening and safety assessment protocols in consultation with the attorney general, county attorneys, law enforcement, medical experts, and victim advocates.

Mandates that each county establish protocols between the county attorney, sheriff, municipal law enforcement, and the Department requiring interdisciplinary investigations of criminal conduct allegations against children, including forensic medical evaluations and coordination procedures.

Requires investigation protocols to include standards for Native American children in compliance with the Indian Child Welfare Act, training requirements for child protective services workers and law enforcement on forensic interviewing, and procedures for information sharing and dispute resolution.

Establishes separate annual reporting requirements for child protective services and county attorneys to submit independent reports within 45 days after each fiscal year to the governor, legislature, committees on health, and attorney general, including prosecution data and reasons investigations were not conducted jointly.

Specifies that each agency must prepare and submit reports independently without input from other reporting entities, and defines reports as public documents containing investigation statistics, charging decisions, and case dispositions.