Department Of Human Resources Essay

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The Department of Human Resources is a non-profit agency that was created in 1935 to help people who were suffering financially from the Great Depression. Originally the agency was named the Department of Public Welfare, then renamed the Department of Pensions and Security, and then again, to what it is currently known as now, the Department of Human Resources. There are 67 county departments in Alabama. The majority of the workers at the agency are social workers; however, there are people who work there that are not social workers. The primary goal for the Alabama Department of Human Resources has always been to help people in need. The child welfare division mission statement states, “Alabama Department of Human Resources will help families …show more content…

The Etowah county DHR services include: child support, adult protective services, food assistance, child protective services, adoption, foster care, family services, family assistance, Christmas sponsors for children and teens in foster care, parenting classes, and GPS classes. The agencies target population is children and adults who are suffering from abuse and/or neglect. The Etowah county DHR is located in Gadsden Alabama and serves all of Etowah County. As far as foster parents with the agency they can live outside of Etowah County in areas such as Calhoun and Marshall …show more content…

Before a child can be placed into a foster home or into the home of a relative, the home must first be suitable for the child to live in. The social worker has to do a home study. The foster parents or relatives also have to go through a criminal background check, child abuse and neglect registry check, and income verification. The foster care system is only meant to be temporary. The ideal goal would be for the child to have reunification with the parent, but because parents do not always cooperate and may continue to put the child at risk of harm there are policies in place that will not allow children to be reunified with their parent if this happens. After a certain period of time the rights of the parents can be terminated if the parents are not willing to cooperate (DeRamus,

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