Governor Bob Riley’s press office issued a release February 19th praising the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR) for its continued excellence in child welfare services. This came after the issuance of the first of three scheduled reports by The Child Welfare Data Review Commission. The report stated that DHR "is successfully sustaining improved practice and demonstrating a strong commitment to further improvement on behalf of Alabama’s children and families."
In its comprehensive, 33-page report, the Commission found that DHR improved in the areas of child abuse investigations and foster care services despite an increased caseload. The report states that the data reviewed "reflects DHR’s implementation of a rigorous performance measurement and quality improvement process."
"Alabama’s Department of Human Resources continues to be a national model for successful child welfare programs," said Governor Bob Riley. "This report really proves what excellent work DHR does for Alabama’s children. Commissioner Walley and his staff have not only sustained their nationally recognized progress, they have improved and taken it to the next level."
"Our Child Welfare Program is operating within the standards put forth in the R.C. settlement and, indeed, has even gone beyond that," said DHR Commissioner Page Walley. "It is an affirmation from national experts that we are doing what we pledged to do. We know there is still a great amount of work to do and we are never going to be satisfied until we are perfect."
A copy of the report and a video news release are available on the Governor’s website at www.governor.alabama.gov.