Families Vs. DHR

When Alabama Deputy Commissioner Karen Smith was asked if everyone on the state’s abuse registry deserved to be there, she answered without hesitation: “I do.” With no requirement for trial, no guarantee of notice, and no clear path for removal, Alabama’s registry functions as punishment by accusation. This investigation explores the real cost of that system and the chilling indifference of the official defending it.

By Staff Writer | Families vs DHR In a small Alabama town, a grandmother stood by her phone, waiting for a call that never came. Her daughter had just been taken into custody, and she...

By Families vs. DHR | Investigative Feature In Alabama, you can be labeled a child abuser without ever stepping foot in a courtroom. There is no requirement for an arrest. No need for a conviction. In...

What if I told you the removal of children from loving homes is being incentivized by federal dollars? This video expose how the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, passed under the Clinton administration,...

A chilling tragedy in Philadelphia reveals how systemic overload and ignored warnings can lead to preventable loss. On April 15, 19-month-old Sy’vir Hill was found unresponsive in a bathtub at his foster home in the...

They told us foster care was about helping children in crisis. But once we started listening to parents and digging deeper, the truth we uncovered was painful. We didn’t walk away because we don’t care. We walked away because we do.

Due process is not optional. It is a constitutional right. But in family court and CPS cases, it is often the first thing discarded. Here’s what the law says, what it means, and what happens when it is ignored.

By Families vs. DHR At this very moment, while our team sits and crafts this message, another family is being forced into turmoil. Another child is being removed without cause. Another parent is being handed a list...