Parent Alienation Fault of Berks County Children and Youth Services

Vickie Correll-Rick, vcrick@bigindependentmedia.com

William Brown a devoted father learned very quickly how the interference of BCCYS can destroy a once happy and successful life.  While going through custody issues in Montgomery County his daughters mother decided to move to Berks County.  As with many investigations into BCCYS cases the mother decided using the agency as a tool would help her in alienated William.  Montgomery County already had concerns about Parental Alienation and had court ordered expert Dr. Brynne Rivlin to evaluate the parents and child.  Brynne Rivlin is author of a highly recognized book "Children Held Hostage: Identifying Brainwashed Children, Presenting a Case and Crafting Solutions."  As a skilled professional in alienation by parents she found that indeed there were issues in the Brown case and was working to resolve those issues by keeping both parents involved in their 13 year old daughter's life.  Mother refused to meet with Dr. Rivlin and set out to destroy the loving caring relationship her daughter had with her father.

My daughter enjoyed a very active life when with me by attending dance classes which she loved and excelled at.  She had hopes of getting adult dance parts since turning thirteen and also enjoyed assisting a dance instructor with 4-5 year olds.  She had very dear friends and enjoyed doing various activities with them.  She received high scores at school and was a very well rounded child.  She loved her daddy but seemed to be getting more and more frustrated with having to communicate between parents.

In February 2008 all the happiness and joy William had of being a father was completely destroyed when the mother made a false report to Childline accusing him of child abuse.  William received a call from BCCYS supervisor Judy Hoover-Thompson that he would no longer be permitted visits with his daughter due to the abuse allegations.  He was informed that his daughter was now in the custody of BCCYS and her mother.  At the hearing even though William presented evidence through Montgomery County court records and the evaluation by Dr Rivlin the court ruled no contact with his daughter.

I felt like my daughter had been kidjacked.  BCCYS refused to address any of the information presented to them including testimony from teachers and those who know my daughter and I.  Her mother pulled her out of the dance classes she loved so much and I was literally cut out of my child's life having done nothing to deserve the treatment dealt me.  It was the clearest misuse of power I had ever witnessed.  Then as if I wasn't suffering enough emotional pain and stress I was terminated from my job due to the false Childline report made against me.  I was a counselor working with children in the system and knew full well how mentally disturbed and angry they would get when taken from parents and people they loved.  I was so concerned for what my daughter was experiencing due to this inflicted pain by BCCYS. I worked in a clinical profession for 27 years and it still stuns me how I trusted and was fooled by the system to do the right thing for me and my daughter.

While he continued to struggle with finding ways to get reunited with his daughter social worker Nicole Robinson at BCCYS was arranging a court ordered evaluation with Dr. Richard Small of Spring Psychological and Allison Hill PHD of Berks Psychological.  The evaluation was conducted by Hill but only done with mother and daughter.  William was not asked to participate.  This evaluation was used to back up BCCYS in further alienating him and his daughter.  William never even received a copy of the report until a custody conference which left no time for he or his attorney to examine the report. 

Throughout all court hearings Nicole Robison and solicitor for BCCYS, Jennifer Grimes continued to make false allegations and united with the mother in creating the child abuse accusation.  They joined ranks with the mother in using the child as a vessel and brain washed my daughter into making false statements to support their corrupt actions.  They ignored my civil and amendment rights.  I received no due process and they purposely never investigated all the proof accessible to them in my favor.

 Parental alienation (or Hostile Aggressive Parenting) is a group of behaviors that are damaging to children's mental and emotional well-being, and can interfere with a relationship of a child and either parent. These behaviors most often accompany high conflict marriages, separation or divorce. These behaviors whether verbal or non-verbal, cause a child to be mentally manipulated or bullied into believing a loving parent is the cause of all their problems, and/or the enemy, to be feared, hated, disrespected and/or avoided. 

In March of 2008 full custody was granted to the mother.  Williams daughter is now 21 years old and has been denied years of valuable time with her father.  He has been emotionally tortured and judicially abused.  Once again BCCYS has dismantled a family.  Again the same names of those directly involved in many cases are destroying what were healthy loving relationships.  William did not stop seeking justice for his name and character.  On January 13, 2011 he received an Order of Remand issued by the PA Department of Public Welfare Hearings and Appeals that the evaluation by Dr Hill was tainted due to false information submitted by Nicole Robinson.  That the courts failed to adequately consider testimony from 2 witnesses for William and a new adjudication was issued.  BCCYS never followed up on reopening his case. 

I have come forth with this information in hopes further exposing this abuse and corruption.  I have faced yet another painful Father's Day without my daughter.  Every Christmas, birthday, or significant event in my life I am unable to share with the most precious gift, my daughter.  She was ripped from my life under the direction of social worker, Nicole Robinson who was backed by BCCYS staff, affiliated doctors, judges, lawyers, guardian ad litems and Berks County Family Courts.  I have participated in counseling to try and understand and deal with what I must face day after day without my daughter in my life. I haven't even been able to reach out to her because I do not know where she is.  I remain at the same address where her bedroom has gone untouched.  All her clothing, pictures, and memories of the happiness this house once held when she was here calling me daddy wait for her return.  As agonizing as it has been to relive the horror of the hearings, job loss, accusations against me and loss I am determined to make a difference in reforming and changing the way the family courts and Human Services operate.  Parent Alienation is a serious transgression and is being carried out by the very people employed by our government and the tax dollars they receive to protect families and children.

Parent Alienation is a form of abuse commonly used by Berks County Children and Youth.  8 out of 10  cases investigated by the Berks County Independent Gazette involve case workers and counselors removing one parent as in Williams case or the child is alienated from both parents and placed a great distance from family and friends.  BCCYS stops all communication with family and forces the child to be raised by strangers.  Experts who have studied parent alienation and it's devastating effects like Dr. Rivlin  in William's case and the Director of Vincent J. Montana Center, Dr Amy Baker Ph.D author of 8 books on the subject agree that alienation is abuse and can have tragic long term consequences in both children and adults.  With all the evidence from the experts and proof of the negative mental effects of parent alienation the agencies formed to protect children and families should endure harsh penalties for inflicting this abuse and disregarding the very mission we as taxpayers are paying them to uphold.

Resources: http://www.prosealliance.org/home-2/victims/parental-alienation/