AZ SB1821

Requires newly hired child safety workers at the Department of Child Safety (DCS) to spend at least one year working and training under the supervision of an experienced child safety worker.

Adds review of the DCS case management system, including data accuracy and system errors used to track child placements and locations, to the Auditor General's department audit team duties.

Authorizes DCS to conduct unannounced visits and inspections of group foster homes and kinship foster care settings where children in DCS custody are placed.

Establishes that placement with a parent, relative, or person with a significant relationship to the child shall be the priority placement for children in DCS care.

Extends background check requirements and placement restrictions to apply to persons with significant relationships to the child, not just parents and relatives.