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Woman fights state in child custody battle

On Behalf of | Jan 11, 2018 | Child Custody

There are two sides of the story in a case where the mother claims her child was kidnapped by the state in which she lives. Some Pennsylvania parents may identify with the woman who has been fighting her state’s Social Services department for the past five years in the child custody battle. Although the daughter was allowed to moved back home with her mother a few months ago, custody is still held by the state.

The problem began when the daughter was in fifth grade and had gotten trouble at school, after which she threatened to hurt herself. The mother was told to take the girl to a specific agency for a psychological evaluation, but the mother refused, claiming she had had a bad experience with that agency when her son had problems. She told the school officials she would take the girl to their family doctor, and he could give a recommendation of someone she would allow her daughter to see. However, she was not able to get the girl to their doctor before the state took the girl away from her.

Court records at the time of the incident says the mother did not take her daughter’s threats seriously and did not try to get the girl the help she needed. The mother then became extremely belligerent when told her daughter was being taken from her, and once the girl had been admitted to a hospital, the mother was asked to sign a form. She did not sign the form, and she left the hospital, which was considered to be an act of abandonment. That act led to the girl being placed in the foster system. The mother says the form she was expected to sign was a confession of abuse, which was not the case, and she left the hospital because she had another child who also needed her at the time.

There are often many factors to be considered in a child custody case. A professional who has experience dealing with custody matters may be needed to structure an agreement that focuses on the child but is acceptable by the adults and any other entities involved. A Pennsylvania family law attorney can give the guidance a loving parent needs.

Source: newsplex.com, “Woman fights to get daughter out of state custody”, Courteney Stuart, Jan. 4, 2018

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