Dr. Page Walley, DHR commissioner, declared that Cullman County is no longer a county in distress. Following a review by the Department’s Quality Assurance Office, it was determined that Cullman County’s child welfare services had made substantial improvements in its compliance with the R.C. principles.
Dr. Walley expressed his pleasure in this important achievement, "We’re extremely proud of the efforts made by child welfare workers in Cullman County. Their commitment toward meeting the high standards of the Department’s child welfare services has helped ensure that the children of Alabama will receive some of the best care available in the country. "
Cullman will become the 67th and final Alabama county to assert conversion when they make their presentation to the federal court monitor in September. Sixty-six of Alabama’s 67 counties have now asserted conversion to the R.C. principles with 62 of those counties certified as operating in full compliance.
It is hoped that the release of the final five counties will come sometime this fall and complete the conversion of Alabama’s child welfare system that began over a decade ago.