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...

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...

Across Alabama, parents are told the same thing by the Department of Human Resources: “Take these services, and you’ll get your children back.” It is said as if it is a guarantee, a roadmap...

This week, our spotlight turns back to a truth too many have been forced to live with: DHR knows when it has done wrong and still refuses to make it right. It is not...

With reporting by AL.com A 3-year-old child in Alabama foster care has died after being left inside a parked vehicle for roughly five hours while under the supervision of a Department of Human Resources (DHR)...