Submitted by Sara

I have a total of five children taken by the Minister of Community Services in Halifax, NS. I am ~not~ a drug addict, and the agents of the Minister insist I, personally, am not abusive, however, they have taken my children away, limiting me to supervised visits.

I am an American citizen and Permanant Resident of Canada eligible, and eager to take her Citizenship in just a year or so. I immigrated here deciding to marry a friend of seven years thinking maybe a marriage based on a long term friendship.

That was my first mistake.

I got pregnant with our twin daughters, things were volatile, but he had long neglected treating his diabetes and high blood pressure, plus he acknowledged his issues. That all changed when he had a stroke a few months after his daughters were born.

I asked for services initially of the Minister, then CFPS. In my home country, if you avail yourself to authorities for help, they help you!

I tried to make things work with my ex husband. It cost me a trip to a battered women's shelter. I eventually moved into affordable housing, my ex moved in with me, things seemed to be going well with intervention by the Minister. As they ceased helping, the abuse in the home took a turn for the worst.

I removed my ex, once and for all, from the home in July of 2009. My ex was abusive, and wasn't willing to let me go. I was stalked, hounded, and when I started seeing someone else, it only intensified.

This culminated in the Minister becoming re-involved after one of my daughters came home with genital bruises. We went from a caring, helpful worker to someone who took serious issue with me, a white girl from the US, sucking up public funds. (I'd been a homemaker! I had young children as a single mom! I didn't expect to be a single mom with kids!) In March of this year, after my son came home with burns 10cm long and 3 cm wide on the inside of his thigh from his father's home, they started 'intensifying' contact with us.

As I'd said before, my husband was abusive. I have a history of abusive relationships and family issues. I am ~Not~ a drug abuser, I do not engage in specifically deviant behaviour, (Unless you count working with Pagan-oriented NPOs), I have absolutely no criminal history (Except maybe ancient speeding tickets from when I was younger than 20) was completely and totally open and honest with this organization, trusting their intent and purpose, hoping for mental health help I was only all to sure I needed. They refused services, only investigation.

Reports were submitted, coloured with speculation and negative prose. Anything that could be found negative, was, and deeply detailed. When I confronted the worker about her behaviour and the behaviour of those working beneath her, she became extremely confrontational. Later, those in the home informed me they felt she was bullying me, and that she was threatening me. I suppose, being from battered situation to battered situation, I couldn't tell the difference.

I took a parental assessment. Despite the insistance of the Psychiatrist and Psychologist that I showed no signs of being abusive, just that I had mental health issues, (Which I question if they would have known if I told them in the first place?) ,the main assessor attacked every small thing she could. A mom with three small children obviously was not allowed to be tired or overwhelmed. In court, during questioning, this assessment was considered 'tainted' as the assesor was unable to confirm a number of items she had placed in the report with her written notes. As well, at a later date, a report from a Psychiatrist this Parental Assesor referred to turned up, and it has little context to the way it was painted in the report given by the Asessor.

They took away my kids, and would only allow me to see them in supervised access. When my mother came from the USA, the same worker that had bullied me did her best to bully my mother, saying she would only be permitted her grandchildren with supervision once. My mother ~runs~ a school for multi-handicapped children in Ohio.

They have been gone since May, It's December. I see them once a week, if there's no holidays or their foster parents haven't scheduled them for appointments. (And there always are.)

My other two children are another case entirely, their father quite literally kidnapped them from me, leaving me in the desert near San Angelo, Texas to die. I'd gone on without hope of seeing them again due to the fact he and his family lived in an extremely tight-knit community where everyone knew everyone and the Assistant DA would gladly represent them in court.

Then their father died. Upon the advice of the US Embassy on Ottawa, I went to Texas, withdrew them from school to bring them here for a new life.

Then the grandmother had her Assistant DA call and insist there were restraining orders, but no paperwork to back up her claims.

They took away children that were abducted from me I hadn't seen in seven years. These kids cried and told me how they'd been waiting their whole lives for me to get them! The Minister came and took them, I have returned to Texas, in that judge's opinion the only thing denying my custody is the simple fact those children have lived in Texas all their lives. Ms Simmons and her 'team' has assured me that the moment those children return to me they will be returned to foster care.

I'm at my wits end. I'm not the only person. A huge number of friends, and children I interact with have been taken from their parents. Adults with horrifying tales of foster care.

I've located parenting courses on my own. Anything, everything just to have my kids back, get back on my feet with my family, and move forward.

I have no idea if my lawyer would approve of this. He's very kind, very helpful. I've been warned that even by reporting this, if inquiries start on my case specifically, they'll make my life worse, but I fail to see how. My kids, my very reasons for wanting more, succeeding, are gone, and the workers themselves insist that I have never nor do they think I will ever abuse my kids.

I have mental health issues. I have asked for assistance in getting a formal diagnosis, if there is one to be had, but Anne Simmons and her team saw fit to give me a therapist that is NOT qualified to diagnose, and outright insisted that any feelings I have that I have been abused by this system are worthless, unfounded, and must be changed. This therapist quit on me, denying me referrals which is un unethical act, as attested by laypersons who are psychologists.

I'm not schizophrenic, I have mild PTSD symptoms from abuse, depression and 'big picture thinking' problems. That, apparently, in Halifax is reason enough to take your kids away, insisting it's for good.

The Judge has stated he's 'not willing to give up on this family'. I appreciate that, but why is this agency able to destroy a family, and keep it torn apart, giving the kids a serious case of Parental Alienation Syndrome? My lawyer has stated he has been in the presence of my worker, Anne Simmons, while she has made statements highlighting a bigoted view of me, as well, my parents (in Ohio) and friends have been passed over as prospective placements for my children. (They are in temporary care)

I went to them to help me and my kids, but I didn't want them to tear my family apart. The behaviour of my children acting out has intensified since they've been taken away, even though the behaviours were initially blamed on me. My children have become violent towards animals, they are medicating a four year old on a medication for schitzophrenia and epilepsy, when she has neither, and for symptoms that did NOT exist prior to their removal from my home. Ms Simmons' statement for rationale as to why such serious medication, (Almost 7 mg of RISPERDAL, which is NOT reccomended for young children!), was because the child this is being perscribed to couldn't sleep and had presented violent behaviours. Behaviours that DID NOT EXIST PRIOR TO THEIR SEIZURE.

Furthermore, the medical professionals that are seeing my children now are being given nothing more than this already proven tainted report, I had to insist and beg that these professionals speak with the doctor that has been seeing these children until being taken by the agency. There has been hiccup after hiccup of allowing my involvement, and any reccomendations that I be involved (Given by Norma Cooke) with the children further his been ignored, along with the concerns of the children's grandparents. One of which is a lecturer and runs a school for children with mental and physical disabilities and qualified to make reccomendations. She has also advised government boards on HOW to run and operate such programs through the United States.

They have not been taken away because abuse HAS occurred (in fact, Ms Simmons insists that they don't believe me to be abusive!) they've been taken away by 'ifs' 'maybes' and it has been stated that they were taken away because I left my abusive husband. It has also been insinuated that the treatment of the children that occured during my time with my ex is also the cause of losing my children.

I have gone so far as to move from Uniack Square to North end Dartmouth to a better home I cannot afford as a move to try and retain my children again, Ms Simmons stated after coming to this home, a phenomenal move, that unless she sees something 'substantial' she will NEVER consider returning my children to me again.

Again, I hope someone reads this and cares. I don't think there's much anyone can do. The people who know that this organization are not doing the right thing actively doing anything are voiceless. The Minister, meanwhile does everything they can to wrench kids away from a parent that's like thousands of other parents out there not having their children taken. And a parent who cannot have her children, unlike so many others, after this Christmas holiday.

Myself, family and friends are doing our best to contact the Darrell Dexter MLA offices to try and have movement on our case. As it has been the holidays, there’s been no response, hopefully, however, more will happen in the coming weeks

Thank you for your time and attention.
Sara