Judge Ira DeMent announced that the Federal Court will no longer supervise the operations of Alabama’s child welfare system. In a 148-page opinion, DeMent agreed that the Department of Human Resources improved to the standards set in a 1991 consent decree and has shown it could maintain those standards.
Governor Bob Riley and Alabama Department of Human Resources Commissioner Page Walley were pleased with Judge Ira DeMent’s decision to end the court’s oversight of the state’s child welfare system.
"Alabama is today recognized as having the model child welfare system in the nation. What had been a dysfunctional system years ago is now considered the premier system in America. A lot of work has gone into making this transformation possible and we pledge to continue working hard to improve it even more for the well-being of the children and families of this state," said Governor Riley.
Commissioner Walley added, "It’s difficult to overstate the significance of the end of the R.C. case. I want to thank Judge DeMent for his willingness to step in and assist the state as we took our child welfare program from the bottom to the top, and, of course, I want to recognize and thank the hard-working staff of DHR at both the state level and local level. They are the ones who dramatically improved the system and made this day possible."
Accomplishments of the Alabama System of Care resulting from the RC Consent Decree