Dr. Ivor Groves, federal court monitor for the R.C. vs Walley Consent Decree, announced today that Baldwin County is in substantial compliance and has converted to the principles of the decree. Baldwin becomes the 67th and final county to meet the very high standards set forth by the R.C. Consent Decree.
State DHR Commissioner Dr. Page Walley expressed his gratitude to those who made this achievement possible. "I’d like to personally commend and thank the staff and community partners in Baldwin County and across the state for the hard work and dedication they’ve exhibited in reaching this important goal," Walley said. "It’s difficult to overstate the importance of having all 67 counties operating under these very high standards for child welfare services."
Governor Bob Riley praised the latest development as further evidence that Alabama has made significant progress in improving child welfare services. "The court has publicly stated that Alabama now has one of the best child welfare programs in the entire nation," Governor Riley said. "Many of the improvements made during the past few years are because of the tremendous focus we've placed on getting into compliance with the consent decree. I’d like to thank Dr. Walley and all those who work day and night to make Alabama a safe place for children to grow up and thrive," he added.
The Department now looks forward to having federal court Judge Ira Dement find that the State of Alabama is in substantial compliance with the decree and is ready to have federal oversight withdrawn.