We’ve spent decades blaming the system. Parents say it. Judges say it. Even the workers inside it say it. The system did this. The system made a mistake. The system took the child. But the...

All across this country, families are being punished for struggling. Instead of being met with help, they’re being met with handcuffs, court dates, and case plans. When the rent is behind, the refrigerator is empty,...

There is a moment in every story when silence breaks. It does not happen in a courtroom or a press release. It happens in the quiet decision of one person who finally says, “I...

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...

Nine children were supposed to be safe. Instead, they were delivered straight into a nightmare. Authorities in Columbia County, Florida, say nine children were rescued from what deputies described as a “house of horrors,” where...