Rc Vs Alabama Case Study

The RC vs. Alabama case changed the development of child welfare programs in Alabama, and perhaps everywhere, forever. RC vs. Alabama is a case in “was filed in United States District Court against the Commissioner of the Department of Human Resources in 1988 on behalf of a child who was then in the custody of DHR. The child, identified only by his initials, R.C., had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The suit alleged that DHR had not maintained systems to ensure that emotionally disturbed or behaviorally disordered foster children were adequately provided for when placed in the foster care system.” (http://www.dhr.alabama.gov) This change in the child welfare laws and programs was extremely important, as stated

At the beginning of social welfare programs in the nineteenth century, there was a group of local societies known as Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children who gradually separated in two competing perspectives rescue and preventative. These perspectives started creating the basis for future welfare programs. As concern about child abuse and neglect grew and as a Child Abuse and treatment act of 1974 was introduced and put into place; a system for collecting data on child abuse was created. With this new system, a “preservationist” reaction soon emerged, as did an impression that the system was out of control” (Noonan, K. G., Et Al., 2009). In 1980 the Congress overhauled this child protection regime with the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act (AACW). The compromise put into place from the RC vs. Alabama changed the (AACW) to better fit everyone. After the ruling of the RC vs. Alabama case, the need to make rules declined as the need to customize and adapt arose. “programs that once focused on financial redistribution increasingly link transfer payments to services, and the services are increasingly customized to the needs of individual recipients” (Noonan, K. G., Et Al.,

Key features of this change that can be found in other states child reform programs as well. The key features in the RC vs. Alabama contract are “commitments to “system investments” or infrastructure development such as equipment acquisition or training for sophisticated information processing systems; increase of caseworkers and supervisors, with a goal towards getting caseloads down to some benchmark and establishment of minimum qualifications for workers” (Noonan, K. G., Et al. 2009). There were also typically commitments “to monitor compliance with a series of procedural and documentation norms.” (Noonan, K. G., Et al, 2009). This approach also gives structure to three themes that have long defined the back ground legislation of the child welfare system. These three themes are customization of service, collaborative decision making and diagnostic monitoring. The model of Alabama and Utah does not have a strict definition. The center of this model shifts is able to shift every agency which is one of the reasons it is so successful, it is able to be shifted to meet the needs of individuals and groups. This is different from the old standards which were are rigid and not as customizable or