Mom and Dad are back at the Star Chamber for the third time. The court has received the disposition report of the social worker with Dr. Hack's report attached as an exhibit. The recommendation is for continued placement of Amber in foster care. The boys will live with the toxic grandmother. Both parents are ordered into therapy.
Dad has already started his school for sexual batterers. The instructor has demanded that he write about what he did to Amber. Dad who didn't do anything inappropriate refuses to admit that he did. The instructor explains that the first step in treatment is to overcome denial. If Dad can't do that, he cannot make progress. The instructor tells Dad that he will be reported as noncompliant unless he changes his mind.
Mom is furious. She tries to address the Star Chamber directly but instantly gets shut down because she's represented by counsel. "No, I'm not," Mom says. She goes on speaking until Judge Gruff tells her that she will be removed from the Star Chamber if she persists. Mom's attorney says nothing.
Mom and Dad have never been informed that they have a right to a contested hearing with witnesses if they want it. Their attorneys remain silent throughout the proceeding except to submit the matter on the social worker's report and Dr. Hack's evaluation.
The court orders six months of reunification services to both parents and sets a date six months away to evaluate their progress. The hearing is over in 15 minutes.
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I went to a parenting class because the court ordered it. In the class, the teacher was good, but the real value was in hearing what the parents said. Here's an example: there was one couple there together who had spanked their child once after having deliberated whether that would be the right thing to do. Their child was taken from them as a result and a year later they were in this class and had been seeking reunification all that year but, as with most or all of us, they could not get any reasonable process in the courts nor with the social workers.
ReplyDeletesounds pretty damn familiar to me.......Paul J
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