There is a quiet kind of breaking that happens when a child is taken from home. It does not make headlines or courtroom transcripts, but it leaves echoes in every room that family once...

It has been months since Alabama DHR came under fire following the death of three-year-old KJ Starks, who died in a hot van while under the state’s care. Since then, there have been statements,...

By Families vs DHR Staff Published September 2025 For nearly three decades, Leslie Kelly has been embedded in the child welfare system. According to an article in the Dothan Eagle, she has held multiple positions within...

By Families vs DHR StaffPublished September 2025 Dear Families vs. Houston County DHR, I never thought disciplining my child would mean losing her to a system more dangerous than the streets. My soul is broken. The Houston...

They took my child. And for a while, it felt like they took everything. My breath. My balance. My name. The way people looked at me. The way I looked at myself. I remember sitting in...

They say the walls are too old. The layout too outdated. Two stories no longer work. So now Houston County DHR wants a new building, a bigger, shinier one story fortress to house their...

Ketorrious “KJ” Starks Jr. was just three years old. He died alone in the back seat of a hot car in July 2025. That car belonged to Kela Stanford, a transport worker contracted through...

The Alabama Department of Human Resources defines its mission in reassuring terms: “To provide for the protection, well-being and self-sufficiency of children and adults.” Yet across the state, stories continue to surface that show an agency...