Hilary’s Story - VPRC's three-pronged advocacy reunites mother and daughter after many legal and child protection system struggles.
Hilary is a loving and dedicated mother who constantly fights her own ghosts of the past in order to provide love and care for her children. Hilary’s family has a tragic history of several generations of sexual abuse, which includes her 16-year old daughter, Melissa. Melissa was sexually abused by her biological father between the ages of 18 months and 4 years old, a fact confirmed by medical and mental health professionals. Through ...
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I have three children, Peter age 9, Paul age 6, and Mary age 2. On Paul’s first birthday, his father committed suicide. I felt overwhelmed with guilt and anxiety and for the first time used illegal drugs. I soon became addicted and entered a long period of substance abuse. I met my now husband, and together we led a life which was all wrapped up in illegal drugs. Three years ago, DCF brought a petition for neglect. My boys went to live with my sister temporarily, although I saw them and took care of them every day.
After a while my sister felt she could no longer ...
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Jonas's Story - Meet Jonas and his three year old son, Nicholas. Jonas, a former drug user in recovery, contacted Vermont Parent Representation Center (VPRC) encouraged by a Department for Children and Families (DCF) investigator. His parents had filed to have guardianship over Nicholas with the probate court and a hearing was scheduled for the next day. Nicholas was living with Jonas’ parents because the child’s mother was also drug addicted and a current user. DCF had an open case with Nicholas’ mother.
Then things got complicated. DCF could no longer support ...
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Kerri's Story - Kerri is a bright young woman with a world of promise before her. In this past year she has graduated from high school and secured full-time employment. She accomplished this while caring for her two year old daughter, Ellie, her pride and joy. This positive picture is a dramatic contrast to the chaotic life Kerri faced not so long ago. Her outlook was bleak as she struggled to manage an abusive relationship, the very real possibility of losing her daughter, and her desperate hunt for support. All this changed dramatically when Vermont Parent Representation ...
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Juan and Tiffany's Story - Family reunited with the help of VPRC's advocacy and support.
Tiffany returned to her job six weeks after the birth of her first child. She and her husband, Juan, were having a hard time making ends meet. Juan’s mother offered to help on the weekends, when both parents had to work, and this lasted for a couple of years. When Tiffany and Juan’s second child was born, Tiffany returned to work three weeks after giving birth. Juan’s mother agreed to continue to care for the children on the weekends.
Mental health issues arose and the father ...
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This past week two VPRC families had their cases dismissed in Court. We believe it had to do with our work with DCF, the other lawyers involved and, of course, the families themselves.
“Ella’s” Story
The Probate Court referred Ella to VPRC because her former in-laws, the paternal grandparents of her four-year-old child, filed a petition for minor guardianship. Then, within days of this referral, DCF filed a Child in Need of Care and Supervision (CHINS) petition, claiming that Ella had neglected her child over a long period of time.
DCF had already comple...
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