Jumping in late here, but I was never clear on whether CS had her parental rights terminated or she lost custody? Various threads/documents seem to conflict on that point. Is there a link to CS' parental termination hearing? ^^bbm
I don't recall any links specific to the DFS hearings or if this information is prohibited pursuant
MGL c. 18C § 12(a), to ensure confidentiality.
Nonetheless, not only was CS responsible for bringing Harmony's case to public light, she was actually the first to tell reporters that she'd long battled with relapses to substance abuse & addiction, and shared she was unable to attend the hearing when Harmony's permanency goal was changed to adoption. Such hearings are typically held after parental termination. I suggest referencing the numerous MSM posts in the MEDIA ONLY thread-- especially the early reports when CS first came forward.
MOO
ETA: The 100+ pg OCA Investigation Report recently released is also a good source for details which begins with AM being incarcerated when HM was born in 2014. CS initially had full custody until Harmony was removed from CS by DCF at 2-months old.
Essentially, HM went from the goal of reunification with CS to the legal custody of DCF after HM spent the first 7 months of her life in foster care. Up until 2019, CS had 3 failed attempts at reunification, a period of time where Harmony was mostly in foster care, and before the goal for Harmony changed to adoption.
I don't think anyone has accused CS of not trying to obtain custody of HM (and later supportive of adoption by the sibling's adoptees) but there also comes a time when the back & forth is detrimental to the child. In other words, contrary to public belief, termination doesn't happen overnight (in this case about 5 yrs). Unfortunately, we often only hear biased stories from bio-parents since agencies do not comment on cases involving minors. Right today, WS is full of such cases!
Also, I was surprised to learn (in the Investigation) that AM was always supportive of DCF and CS's attempts for reunification, and didn't petition for a redetermination for his immediate custody until the permanency goal was changed to adoption.
APR 16, 2022 Easter egg hunt honors Harmony Montgomery (wmur.com) [...] Sorey said she is "beyond grateful." "Every event that we have and more people come just to show their love and support," Sorey said. [...] Tim Callery on Twitter Family and friends of #HarmonyMontgomery gather for an...
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