What We Did to Bring Our Children Home

By Neil and Heidi Howard
February 2002

Editor’s Note: When you read what the Howards did to bring their children home, you begin to understand. Practically no one has the intelligence or fortitude to stand up to this onslaught from the state government.

When our story began in October of 1999, we cooperated with the DSS in order to fix what we thought was just a misunderstanding.

We’d just had a new baby and were redoing our kitchen.

This early attempt to find an “understanding ear” led us to corrupt and incompetent lawyers who are not out to protect their client. They are dependent upon DSS and everyone else in the “system” for future assignments.

We do not recommend doing all of these things we mention below, but when it came to our children we were willing to do anything except admit guilt for something we did not do. This infuriated DSS as they don’t have the capacity to understand why we wouldn’t give up. They don’t know what a loving family is.

Say “No” to the home visit. They especially target single mothers and parents of handicapped children.

Our nightmare really began when a social worker at Spalding Rehab Hospital talked us into having a visiting nurse come to the house to make suggestions about the care of our neurologically impaired newborn when she arrived home. It is standard procedure for every new mom to talk to a social worker before going home.

Be aware of this. Say “No” to the home visit. They especially target single mothers and parents of handicapped children.

What We Did

This is a condensed version of all that we have done. (We would do some things differently if we had it to do over.)

Cooperated with Court Investigator

Cooperated with Guardian Ad Litem for the Children

Attended every Foster Care Review

Attended every Court and DSS Hearing totaling over 50 hearings. This included:

- Appeals of 51A reports

- Foster Care Reviews

- Goal Change Appeals/with attorneys

- Pretrial hearings/with attorneys

- Status conferences/with attorneys

- Trial dates/with attorneys

We went to every supervised visit that the DSS would allow. This included visiting our terminally ill daughter, Faith, near her foster home in Southbridge, over an hour away, until she passed away. We were only allowed to spend an hour with her once a month, knowing she was going to die soon. We were denied more visits. During Faith’s life, she would often go though seizures and be rushed to the hospital without her parents being there. The boys were never allowed to see her alive.

We have had a total of over forty-five supervised visits with our sons Ethan and Christopher since our children were taken. We have never missed a scheduled visit. This includes allowing the DSS to attend our daughter Faith’s funeral so our son Chris could attend. DSS refused to allow Ethan to come. Our visits were eventually moved from the DSS office to a Visitation Center that would charge us $20 an hour to see our children.

We had only supervised visits with Jessica, our newborn baby, until she was returned home. The DSS could not come up with a reason why they took her. Also, the baby’s pediatrician accompanied us to court in an attempt to stop the removal.

Showed the Courts Our Willingness to do Anything for Children

Attended weekly individual therapy.

Saw a clinical Psychologist, Dr. James Manganello PhD, MPH.ABAP, BCETS, for a psychiatric evaluation for each of us and provided these evaluations to the court and DSS.

Entered the Emerge Program for batterers for an evaluation on 5/17/01 with no admission of culpability. Were released from this when it was determined that Neil did not have any signs of being a batterer.

Completed Parenting classes at Lowell General Hospital and Earned Certificates in Adult, Child, and Infant CPR & First Aid. (We attended classes on 6/4/01, 6/6/01, and 6/11/01).

Enrolled in additional Parenting Class, taught by Pastor Montel B. Wilder.

Had biweekly visits with a qualified Parenting Aide.

Have written dozens of documents for the court and attorneys to view.

Spent over a year’s salary to fight for our children.

Kept a full time job as a machinist, constantly having to make up time at work because of court proceedings.

More of What We Did

We also reviewed:

DSS dictation of social workers,

51A reports,

Court reports,

Medical records,

Credentials of social workers, foster mothers, DSS therapists.

D.A. interviews with our children recorded on videotape.

We discovered in DSS dictation records:

Evidence which documents the abuse of our child at the hands of foster parents.

That social workers fabricated and lied on court affidavits and 51B reports.

Social workers, foster mothers and DSS therapists filed against us per DSS orders.

Therapist for the children had no license to practice therapy and were actually social workers working for South Bay Mental Health, a facility that gets many clients from DSS.