Alabama DHR Child Welfare Case Raises Questions About Custody and Adoption: Beth Robley's Story

Alabama's child welfare system has faced increasing scrutiny in recent years as families, advocates, and policymakers raise concerns about transparency, due process, and placement decisions made by the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR).

One case that illustrates many of those concerns is the experience of Beth Robley (McCormick), who spent more than three years attempting to obtain custody of her two nieces after they were removed from their parents' home. Her experience offers a closer look at how the child welfare system operates in practice and the challenges relatives can face when attempting to intervene on behalf of children.

A System Designed to Protect Children?

Alabama DHR is responsible for investigating reports of abuse or neglect and determining safe placements for children when removal from a home becomes necessary. In theory, the system is intended to prioritize child safety while maintaining family connections whenever possible.

In practice, however, families often describe the process as difficult to navigate. Court proceedings, administrative decisions, and placement policies can create a complex web of procedures that relatives must navigate while trying to advocate for children already in crisis.

Cases like Robley's highlight the tension between the system's stated goals and the experiences reported by families who attempt to participate in it.

Beth Robley's Effort to Obtain Custody

According to Robley, she contacted DHR shortly after her nieces were removed from their parents' home and offered to take them into her care. She says she believed her home could provide a stable and safe environment while the children's situation was being addressed.

Robley told Make It Make Sense, Alabama hosts Whitney Scapecchi and Neeli Faulkner that her requests were repeatedly denied or ignored during the early stages of the case. Over the following years, she continued attempting to intervene through legal channels, but says she encountered significant obstacles throughout the process.

Her account raises several questions about how placement decisions are made and how relatives are evaluated as potential caregivers.

Among the concerns raised in Robley's case:

• Placement decisions: Robley alleges that at least one placement raised safety concerns, including a situation involving an individual with a known criminal history.

• Access to the process: She says efforts to formally intervene in the case were repeatedly blocked or delayed, limiting her ability to advocate for the children through the court system.

• Court outcomes: Ultimately, judicial decisions in the case favored placements outside of the extended family, a result Robley believes failed to fully consider available family options.

A Pattern Reported by Multiple Families,

Robley's story is not the only one raising questions about child welfare practices in parts of Alabama.

Over the past several months, Make It Make Sense, Alabama hosts Whitney Scapecchi and Neeli Faulkner have spoken with multiple families, particularly in Houston County, who describe similar experiences when attempting to navigate DHR investigations and custody proceedings.

While each case involves its own circumstances, several recurring concerns appear in interviews with families and advocates:

• Lack of transparency: Some relatives say they struggled to obtain clear information about case decisions or the steps required to be considered for placement.

• Procedural barriers: Families report difficult entering the legal process to advocate for children already placed in state custody.

• Relative placement concerns: Although federal and state guidelines often emphasize the importance of kinship placements when safe and appropriate, several families say they were unable to secure placement despite offering to care for the children.

These concerns mirror broader conversations about how child welfare systems balance child safety, family rights, and due process.

A Continuing Conversation

Beth Robley's effort to obtain custody of her nieces reflects the difficult position many relatives find themselves in when children enter the child welfare system. While DHR is tasked with protecting vulnerable children, the experiences described by Robley and others suggest the system's processes can leave families feeling excluded from decisions that profoundly affect their lives.

As conversations about child welfare reform continue in Alabama, stories like Robley's provide a window into how the system operates on the ground and why some families are calling for greater transparency, accountability, and oversight.

Listen to the Full Interview Now

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