Fifteen months no contact & no response from DHS
Posted: Mon May 16, 2011 4:58 pm
I am the grandmother of two boys, age 10 and 5. My son is their father. On Feb 14, 2010, the police and Linn County Iowa DHS came to their home and "interviewed" my son and his wife for 2.5 hours. They removed both of their computers and forced my son and his wife each to sign his/her individual "Iowa Safety Plan." They signed these plans under threat of having their children removed from their custody immediately. My son's plan required him to leave the home, stay with friends or relatives, and have no contact whatsoever with his children, during the DHS and police investigation of my son. That was 15 months ago, and my son and his wife have complied with their plans to the letter.
My son was charged with sex abuse in the second degree for allegedly abusing two children that were in the home in his wife's day care. There have been no charges of any kind of abuse of his own children. My son continues to insist he is innocent of all charges and both his wife and I are convinced he is telling the truth.
My husband and I provided the bond money to get my son out of jail in early April, 2010, when the charges were filed, and he has lived with us in Missouri ever since then. He owns his own computer-based business and has continued to work to pay his defense attorney.
My son's trial date has been delayed many times and is currently set for August 8. During this past 15 months, the boys have been seen regularly by a "play therapist." This person, who wishes to remain anonymous, has stated to the boy's mother and has left messages for the DHS caseworker that, in her professional opinion, the boys were never subject to abuse of any kind and need to continue their relationship with their father. DHS never responded to this therapist.
My son has made several attempts to communicate with DHS, asking them to revise the safety plan and allow supervised visitation. Their response has been a stubborn refusal to allow any contact whatsoever. Recently the therapist wrote a letter to the DHS caseworker, stating the same thing she had tried to tell them verbally many months ago.
After the most recent trial delay, which was initiated by the prosecuting attorney, we have finally been able to convince the defense attorney to contact DHS on my son's behalf to ask for supervised visitation. He tells my son he did just that last week. However, there has been no response. The defense attorney told my son and his wife that the prosecutor evidently knows he has a weak case and is delaying things, because he doesn't want to go to trial.
I believe the time has come for my son to make a concerted effort to get a revised safety plan in place, so he can resume his relationship with his children. There is no court order keeping him away from his children; there is only the Linn County Iowa DHS Safety Plan and the threat of removing the children from their mother’s custody, if she allows the boys any contact with their father.
Please advise what can be done to achieve a revised safety plan that will allow the children to resume their relationship with their father.
My son was charged with sex abuse in the second degree for allegedly abusing two children that were in the home in his wife's day care. There have been no charges of any kind of abuse of his own children. My son continues to insist he is innocent of all charges and both his wife and I are convinced he is telling the truth.
My husband and I provided the bond money to get my son out of jail in early April, 2010, when the charges were filed, and he has lived with us in Missouri ever since then. He owns his own computer-based business and has continued to work to pay his defense attorney.
My son's trial date has been delayed many times and is currently set for August 8. During this past 15 months, the boys have been seen regularly by a "play therapist." This person, who wishes to remain anonymous, has stated to the boy's mother and has left messages for the DHS caseworker that, in her professional opinion, the boys were never subject to abuse of any kind and need to continue their relationship with their father. DHS never responded to this therapist.
My son has made several attempts to communicate with DHS, asking them to revise the safety plan and allow supervised visitation. Their response has been a stubborn refusal to allow any contact whatsoever. Recently the therapist wrote a letter to the DHS caseworker, stating the same thing she had tried to tell them verbally many months ago.
After the most recent trial delay, which was initiated by the prosecuting attorney, we have finally been able to convince the defense attorney to contact DHS on my son's behalf to ask for supervised visitation. He tells my son he did just that last week. However, there has been no response. The defense attorney told my son and his wife that the prosecutor evidently knows he has a weak case and is delaying things, because he doesn't want to go to trial.
I believe the time has come for my son to make a concerted effort to get a revised safety plan in place, so he can resume his relationship with his children. There is no court order keeping him away from his children; there is only the Linn County Iowa DHS Safety Plan and the threat of removing the children from their mother’s custody, if she allows the boys any contact with their father.
Please advise what can be done to achieve a revised safety plan that will allow the children to resume their relationship with their father.