Benda Williams - GAL for my children.

This woman is beyond undescribable. She kisses my kids, does not have their best interest at mind. The CM has told us that she has it out for us. My kids are being abused and nothing is done about it. Yet these people are pprotecting children. It is by far a shame and disgrace to know what my kids are being put through and we try to do everything to stop it and turn these people in and nothing gets done. This woman writes false reports. Says such horrific things about us. I have a clean record until this and always had a job my kids were more than well taken care of and all this began due to a ex wife.
We cannot afford an attorney any longer so we had to get rid of her. and are stuck with a paid attorney.

We have done everything that we're supposed to do including a completed and approved home stud but are being penalized for how long it has taken DCF to complete our paperwork to place my nephew with us. The Guardian ad litem appointed to our situation made up her mind that my nephew should continue placement with the foster parents because that supposedly is in his "best" interest. Gal has never investigated the case and collect "firsthand" information related to the safety, well-being, best interests throughout the case, which Florida law requires be done. Gal has never witness my nephew and I interacting together, has only spoken to me once and that was to ask me if I was really his aunt and who all lived in my home. I have request the written report on why I am being denied by Gal and have been ignored by Gal, the case manager and her supervisor.

It is disheartening the Guardian ad Litem in our case is corrupting the judicial process. Without hearing any evidence beyond the worker at the methadone clinic who asserted the mother was off of heroin and on methadone, she strongly favors and openly expresses the child be returned to the mother. She told us to drop the dependency case and return the child after a 2-hour testimony. Secondly, she stated there are children living in worse conditions that our grandson. In her experience the courts always return the children back to their mothers. And finally, she suggests we be a safety net for our grandson for the next time his mother fails. In this case the mother is addicted to all substances including alcohol, heroin, cocaine, prescription drugs, marijuana to name a few. This addiction has lasted over 15 years and the mother readily admits she is an addict, frequently relapses and will relapse again. The grandchild is suffering from mental illness; ODD, ADD, adjustment disorder and PTSD from his ordeal of living in a home with violence and substance abuse. But the Guardian ad Litem does not care she has made her decision. We had a scheduling conflict and could not schedule a one hour visit one week and the guardian pens an e-mail noticing all attorneys she wants us to drive our grandson up to his mother for a 4-hour visit and strongly recommends reuniting this child with his mother as soon as possible. I am horrified the judicial system is so corrupt. He missed the visit because he had an appointment with the school’s psychologist due to the change in behavior at school and home after his visits with his mother. He has been under psychiatric care for 2 ½ years now. He is only 7 and has had 6 placements. The majority of his life has been spent living with us because we have been the safety net for him. At what point will the judicial system recognize concern for this child’s safety?

The Guardian ad litem appointed to our situation made up her mind after hearing one witness for the mother who is a long time addict and from that point on gathered evidence to justify her position. She came to our home and told us the court always returns children to their mothers. Additionally there are children who live in more deplorable situations than our grandson who has PTSD from his exposure to his mothers drug use, drug activities and witnessed her OD and needed advanced life support in front of him. And finally she suggested we be a safety net for him as his mother was currently clean on methadone, but readily admits she will likely relapse. I have to ask what system would send a child back into danger? This child has been under psychiatric care for over two years now. Why would a guardian ad litem not want to hear evidence about the child's ordeal? Why would a judicial process fall into group think and talk each other in to a set pattern so they avoid any decision making? Its disheartening to know we can not protect children who need it because the judicial system is corrupt.

The attorney GAL I hired acted like a dictator and made me feel as though I had no parental rights. There was no child abuse in my case. My daughter was dealing with mental health issues and was taken by the police at 11:00 p.m. at night after her father reported that she made a post about running away. She was asleep in bed when the police came. The GAL told me my daughter had runaway and asked me why I was stating that she had not runaway. She believed everything the father said without verifying the facts by reading the police report where it stated she was at home. Hiring a GAL was the worst mistake of my life. She did not help at all with my daughter's mental health issues and even interfered with my attempts to get a therapist by choosing therapists that either charged a costly retainer fee or were not on my insurance list after I told her I could not afford out of pocket medical expenses. The interference delayed my daughter starting therapy and resulted in additional hospital stays, which of course increased the GAL's bill. The case is now at the end and I made a late payment, and she is now taking me to court to have the judge issue an Income Withholding Order to take my paycheck. I am the main provider for my 3 children receiving very little in child support. I have had to take leave without pay to deal with my daughter's mental health issues, so if she takes my paycheck my electric could get turned off and my kids may go without food. She added additional costs to my bill for taking me to court as well. And she did not even produce a final report because I had an outstanding balance. All that money wasted for absolutely nothing. This GAL has no concern for children as she has no regard for my current financial crisis risking my ability to support my children. She only cares about one thing: $$$. I do not recommend the GAL program at all. It is better to work directly with Children and Family Services. The DCF agent initially assigned to my case showed much more true concern for my children's welfare and gave better advice. Unfortunately, she dismissed herself once she knew a GAL was appointed. There are also therapists that are certified GALs. I so wish I had been told this. Now I am left with nearly fully supporting my kids because their father is not abiding the timeshare agreement when the child support amount was based on 60/40. My divorce attorney foresaw this, but the GAL disregarded this concern. I never received anything that indicated a timeshare recommendation by the GAL. Like I said, complete waste of money. It would have been wiser to put the money towards a college fund. The for profit GAL program is nothing more than a money making racket that will cause you to go bankrupt unless you're rich.

Gal frank pumarejo martin is an atty, who practises in the 11th distric, miami..this unethical lawyer voluntiers as gal, just to score brownie points, with the court in which he makes a living out of the miseria, of good custodial fathers by knownly violating every ethical rule, which he sowerd to upheld, as an officer of the court, he feels well protected to do as he pleases, by maliciously MISSREPRESENTING, LYING, TO THE COURT, ENGAGES IN VERY CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, THUS BY PUTTING THE PRO, SE LITIGANT FATHER AT A DISSAVANTAGE, , HELP