I will preface this by saying, I am the paternal grandmother of a little girl that has just turned 5 years old. My son and her mother are divorced. My son, at the time what I am about to tell you about, was a long distance truck driver. My granddaughter in June 2003 had extensive medical test done, due to the fact she was not talking, she had tremors, she had no interest in being potty trained, etc. She was said to have developmental delays. No reason was found for it.
In Dec. 2003, she started to talk a little bit. In March 2004, she told me and my daughter about abuse that had been going on while she was in her mothers care. She named the person, who had been doing this to her. DSS, was called, law enforcement got involved.
This started the ongoing court dates in family court, starting in April 2004.( Law enforcement investigation still ongoing)
She was placed in my custody, by DSS and the court system. After extensive investigations by DSS, and the court appointed GAL, Dr.'s reports, psych exams, therapist reports, etc. all were in agreement that the child should remain in my custody. The judge was in complete agreement, all reports wanted the child protected and never to go back in the mothers care.
The judge who was hearing this case everytime was in complete agreement, with all reports turned in, all recomendations made by the GAL attorney, and the county attorney. In June 2004, the mothers court appointed attorney stated she could no longer represent the mother, not because of conflict of interest with her, but with the mothers boyfriend.
In Sept. 2004, we go back into court, another judge was on the bench. The mother hired a new attorney, which we had to wait 2 hours for to show up in court. When the case is called the judge calls all attorneys into chambers, comes out, makes the ruling he is working on reunification with the mother and child, starting with unsupervised visits with the mother and her boyfriend.( The boyfriend has been named in several DSS reports for sexual abuse, has substance abuse problems, domestic violence problems, has a long list of arrests, one being, indecent liberties with a minor)
Everyone involved in this case is in disbelief.
We go back to court Dec. 2004, the previous judge we had always seen, except in Sept. is on the bench. It looks as if she is going to get things back in order with this case, when the phone rings in court. It is the district court judge, who was on the bench in Sept., the clerk who answered the phone is chatting it up with this judge, then takes a message, and passes it to the mothers attorney. Well, now, the sitting judge states she will follow the previous ruling made in Sept. She states I have to be home 3 nights a week so the mother can call the child, and I have to turn the child over for unsupervised vsits every saturday. I ask this judge could I speak in court, she said no. The GAL attorney really fought for this child, but the judge had no interest in anything this attorney or the county attorney had to say. The judge stated the mother should keep going to PA meetings, that this would help her not make the same mistakes.
How many chances, should a parent get to screw up a child's life?
Everyone is in disbelief again.
I forgot to mention that since the child has been in my care she is in preschool, completely up to her level. She is now a normal 5 year old little girl, with no tremors, talking all the time, and is happy, for the first time in her life.
Any advice or help appreciated. Have any ethical codes been broken?
In Dec. 2003, she started to talk a little bit. In March 2004, she told me and my daughter about abuse that had been going on while she was in her mothers care. She named the person, who had been doing this to her. DSS, was called, law enforcement got involved.
This started the ongoing court dates in family court, starting in April 2004.( Law enforcement investigation still ongoing)
She was placed in my custody, by DSS and the court system. After extensive investigations by DSS, and the court appointed GAL, Dr.'s reports, psych exams, therapist reports, etc. all were in agreement that the child should remain in my custody. The judge was in complete agreement, all reports wanted the child protected and never to go back in the mothers care.
The judge who was hearing this case everytime was in complete agreement, with all reports turned in, all recomendations made by the GAL attorney, and the county attorney. In June 2004, the mothers court appointed attorney stated she could no longer represent the mother, not because of conflict of interest with her, but with the mothers boyfriend.
In Sept. 2004, we go back into court, another judge was on the bench. The mother hired a new attorney, which we had to wait 2 hours for to show up in court. When the case is called the judge calls all attorneys into chambers, comes out, makes the ruling he is working on reunification with the mother and child, starting with unsupervised visits with the mother and her boyfriend.( The boyfriend has been named in several DSS reports for sexual abuse, has substance abuse problems, domestic violence problems, has a long list of arrests, one being, indecent liberties with a minor)
Everyone involved in this case is in disbelief.
We go back to court Dec. 2004, the previous judge we had always seen, except in Sept. is on the bench. It looks as if she is going to get things back in order with this case, when the phone rings in court. It is the district court judge, who was on the bench in Sept., the clerk who answered the phone is chatting it up with this judge, then takes a message, and passes it to the mothers attorney. Well, now, the sitting judge states she will follow the previous ruling made in Sept. She states I have to be home 3 nights a week so the mother can call the child, and I have to turn the child over for unsupervised vsits every saturday. I ask this judge could I speak in court, she said no. The GAL attorney really fought for this child, but the judge had no interest in anything this attorney or the county attorney had to say. The judge stated the mother should keep going to PA meetings, that this would help her not make the same mistakes.
How many chances, should a parent get to screw up a child's life?
Everyone is in disbelief again.
I forgot to mention that since the child has been in my care she is in preschool, completely up to her level. She is now a normal 5 year old little girl, with no tremors, talking all the time, and is happy, for the first time in her life.
Any advice or help appreciated. Have any ethical codes been broken?