A.A. v. Buckner
Alabama
Children’s Rights, the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program, and the Southern Poverty Law Center filed A.A. v. Buckner against the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR) on behalf of children in the foster system living with mental health impairments who are held in psychiatric residential treatment facilities (PRTFs). The case targets the state’s failure to place children in the least restrictive environment where they can access support while enjoying the same activities as peers and thrive into adulthood. Instead, they are often shuffled from one facility to another, further isolating them from their families and communities.
CASE DETAILS
- Venue
- U.S. District Court, Middle District of Alabama
- Status
- Active
- Filed
- May 20, 2021
- Focus Areas
- Child Health, Government Accountability, Institutionalization
The complaint alleges that DHR, the agency responsible for administering the child welfare system in Alabama, is violating federal law, placing children in these highly rigid and often dangerous settings instead of meeting their mental health needs in a loving home or community-based setting. Children segregated into these institutional settings are less likely to achieve permanency and are more likely to age out of the foster system without the appropriate community-based care to facilitate a successful transition to adulthood.
The lawsuit seeks a court order requiring DHR to immediately change its policies and practices to ensure that no child in the foster system is unnecessarily placed in these draconian facilities.
