Experts cautioned that success will depend on leadership that is committed to changing how caseworkers interact with families, as well as a healthy dose of patience. In other words, the fate of the state's new Department of Child Safety hinges more on how the agency is run than the 200-plus pages of statutory changes signed into law by Brewer on Thursday.
"The important issue is what will the people who work there do in how they relate to families," said Paul Vincent, director of Child Welfare Policy, an Alabama-based non-profit organization that offers technical assistance on child-welfare issues. "It's hard to legislate how you work with families."