MONTGOMERY | RICKEY STOKES NEWS
Alabama parents shared emotional and deeply personal concerns during a recent public meeting of the Alabama Department of Human Resources, calling for reforms they say are long overdue.
During the department’s quarterly public meeting, parents were given the opportunity to address DHR leadership directly, voicing frustrations over what they described as delays, lack of transparency, and procedural failures within the child welfare system.
“We have experienced repeated delays, difficulty accessing records, unclear or missing hearings, and conflicting information,” one parent said during the meeting.
Another parent claimed their child was removed without proper legal authority, stating the baby was taken from a hospital shortly after birth without a court order.
Karen Smith, Deputy Commissioner of Children and Family Services for Alabama DHR, acknowledged the concerns raised but said some complaints fall outside the agency’s control.
“It does weigh heavy on our hearts to hear some of their concerns,” Smith said. “We do look at those complaints, but at the end of the day sometimes we’re not able to do what they’re wanting us to do. There were complaints around Guardian ad Litems and court continuances, and that’s not DHR.”
Smith emphasized that the department’s mission is not to unnecessarily separate families, noting that intervention occurs only in a fraction of reported cases.
“Last year we went out on around 52,000 children that were called in,” Smith said. “We only brought into the system around 3,000. That speaks volumes that we’re doing a lot of work on the front end to try and protect these children in their home environments.”
DHR officials highlighted a reported 70% family reunification rate for children exiting foster care last year. According to Smith, approximately 3,000 children left the foster care system in 2025, with about 2,100 returning to parents or relatives.
Looking ahead to 2026, Smith said one growing challenge is an increase in parents voluntarily relinquishing custody of troubled teenagers whom they believe pose safety risks at home. That trend, she said, is placing additional strain on the system and its available resources.
Statewide data presented at the meeting shows there are currently just under 6,900 children involved in Child Protective Services cases across Alabama, down from more than 9,000 cases reported in late 2021.
