Alabama Sees Drop in Foster Care Cases, Yet Troubled Teens Are Still Surrendered

Alabama has seen a decrease in the number of children in foster care compared to six years ago, and the state is making strides in reuniting families, according to Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR) Commissioner Nancy Buckner. Speaking to lawmakers on Wednesday, Buckner highlighted the agency's efforts and the ongoing challenges it faces.

A key issue Buckner addressed is the role of parental drug abuse, particularly methamphetamine, in the removal of infants and young children from their homes. She also pointed out the difficulties DHR encounters in finding appropriate placements and services for teens whose parents relinquish custody due to the teens' mental health issues or criminal behavior.

Buckner’s presentation to the House and Senate General Fund committees, part of a series of informal summer hearings, provided an overview of DHR’s extensive responsibilities. The agency manages six major programs with a budget exceeding $3 billion, of which about 83% comes from federal funds.

Using a 30-page PowerPoint, Buckner detailed how DHR impacts hundreds of thousands of lives across Alabama:

• The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), previously known as food stamps, serves around 776,000 Alabama households.
• DHR’s child support program collected $357 million in payments for 182,000 families in fiscal year 2023.
• The agency provided $262 million in child care subsidies for 41,000 low-income children, averaging more than $500 per child per month.
• DHR also licenses and inspects child care centers.

The discussion with lawmakers largely focused on DHR’s child welfare program, which investigates and works to prevent child abuse and neglect. Buckner noted that while the number of children in foster care has decreased by about 8% since 2018, from 6,405 to 5,906, the agency has been proactive in securing permanent homes for foster children and delivering necessary services to families more swiftly. Over the past five years, more than 70% of children in foster care have been reunited with their families, a statistic Buckner described as a significant achievement.

She also shared that the median length of time a child spends in foster care in Alabama is 13.1 months, shorter than the national median of 17.5 months, which she viewed as a positive indicator.

Children enter state custody for various reasons, including physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, and parental incarceration. Buckner emphasized that parental drug abuse is the leading cause for children up to age 13 to enter care. However, for older teens, the more common reason is parental relinquishment, often due to fear of the teen or their criminal behavior.

Buckner explained that the child welfare system is not always equipped to manage teens with such severe behavioral issues. "Relinquishment is when parents give their children to us," she said. "For younger children, it’s often because the parents simply can’t care for them. For older teens, it’s usually because the parents are afraid, and many of these teens have committed crimes. They need a different kind of intervention, one that focuses on rehabilitating their behaviors."

Buckner also described the extensive efforts made to keep children out of foster care, particularly newborns. DHR works to place children with relatives whenever possible, such as a grandmother or sibling, to avoid separating the child from their family. However, when these efforts fail, the child may end up in foster care, with the goal typically being reunification with their family.

Despite these successes, Buckner acknowledged that DHR faces a serious challenge in hiring and retaining child welfare social workers, with a turnover rate exceeding 60% in recent years. She attributed this to the demanding nature of the job, which includes irregular hours, frequent emergencies, and the risk of being attacked on social media or facing lawsuits. Social workers are often in competition with other agencies and companies that offer better pay and more favorable working conditions.