Cambridge - Denied! Failing Cordelia: Parental Love and Parental-State Theft in Los Angeles Juvenile Dependency Court: Book Two: Pride and Legal Prejudice

What Reviewers and Readers Said About
The Cankered Rose and Esthers Revenge

By the end of this one, readers will find that Cambridge emerges with one great virtue intact: he seems honest, to a fault.

A disturbing memoir, but one that could possibly be instructive for readers involved in adoption.

Kirkus Indie Review

Simons story is one of love, courage, and devotion for his adopted daughter, Cordelia. Given Cordelias traumatic childhood, and years in foster care, her adoption was a dream come true, a forever family. But no one was prepared to manage the reality of a child with RAD, and the unforeseen life challenges for this family. Simon devoted himself to understanding his child and the child welfare systems involved - Washington State and California, and worked passionately to advocate for his daughters well being. At times this story is painful to read, with loss, separation, allegations, and flawed legal processes. But it is also clearly filled with hope.

The book is well written, very detailed, and able to grasp the underlying subtleties in the web of family dynamics. It is full of references for parents and professionals. It presents a lot of information about child welfare, court systems, parental rights, and the motives that drive decision makers. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in social work, learning more about the child welfare system, adopting a traumatized child, and parental rights.

Sandra San ders,
Cordelias Social Worker/Care Coordin ator,

Family Preservation Program, Washington State

If a reader is looking for a play by play of this story with dramatic scenes in chronological order, that reader will be very disappointed. However, if a reader is looking for an in-depth 20/20 hindsight, Monday morning quarterback analysis of why the favored team lost the championship, then that reader will definitely benefit from this book.

The author describes in great detail how everyonecaseworkers, lawyers, judges, Commissioner No, etc.involved with his adopted daughter FAILED to do what was needed. In doing so, he provides a way for others to learn from his experience so that other children might not come to the same end. The final portion of the book has a comprehensive list of resources for readers to learn even more should they wish to.

Author Simon Cambridge does not shelter himself from blame either, being very honest about his own mistakes. Toward the end, I was reminded of an old childrens book, The Bike Lesson , by Stan and Jan Berenstain. In that story, a lovable Papa Bear tries to teach his son to ride a bike. He wants to do the right thing but crashes time and time again. His often repeated line, This is what you should not do. So let this be a lesson to you, is just right for Simons book. This should be required reading for anyone in the field of child protection, and especially parents who are thinking about adopting a special needs child.

Deborah Front iera,
Author of Fighting CPS: Guilty Until Proven
Innocent of Child Protective Services Charges ( 2011)

Denied! Failing Cordelia

Parental Love and Parental-State Theft in Los Angeles Juvenile Dependency Court

Book Two:
Pride and Legal Prejudice

Simon Cambridge

Copyright 2016 by Simon Cambridge.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016907008

ISBN: Hardcover 978-1-5144-8891-1

Softcover 978-1-5144-8892-8

eBook 978-1-5144-8893-5

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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Rev. date: 02/25/2017

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Contents

With love to my long-suffering and wonderful mo ther.

Every day is, and ought to be, Mothers Day!

***

Cordelia , you will always be my beloved daug hter.

***

To Sally Therapist for providing me with a safe therapeutic environ ment.

***

To Nancy Thomas for making such a difference in the lives of children with reactive attachment diso rder.

***

To motivated parents that each will find the right balance of pride, emotional, legal, and financial strength necessary to reunify with their children in juvenile dependency c ases.

***

To social workers , attorneys , and judges , I would like to express my hope that you will find the wherewithal to see the uniqueness of children and parents better and the true motivating value of parental p ride.

Kent

Royal Lear,

Whom I have ever honourd as my king,

Loved as my father, as my master followd,

As my great patron thought on in my prayers,

King Lear

The bow is bent and drawn, make from the shaft.

Kent

Let it fall rather, though the fork invade

The region of my heart: be Kent unmannerly,

When Lear is mad. What wilt thou do, old man?

Thinkst thou that duty shall have dread to speak,

When power to flattery bows? To plainness honours bound,

When majesty stoops to folly. Reverse thy doom;

And, in thy best consideration, cheque

This hideous rashness: answer my life my judgment,

Thy youngest daughter does not love thee least;

Nor are those empty-hearted whose low sound

Reverbs no hollowness.

King Lear

Kent, on thy life, no more.

Kent

My life I never held but as a pawn

To wage against thy enemies; nor fear to lose it,

Thy safety being the motive.

King Lear

Out of my sight!

Kent

See better, Lear; and let me still remain

The true blank of thine eye.

William Shakespeare, King Lear, act I, sc. i

All the worlds a stage,

And all the men and women merely players:

They have their exits and their entrances;

And one man in his time plays many parts,

His acts being seven ages.

William Shakespeare, As You Like It, act II, sc. vii

To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,

Creeps in this petty pace from day to day

To the last syllable of recorded time,

And all our yesterdays have lighted fools

The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!

Lifes but a walking shadow, a poor player

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage

And then is heard no more: it is a tale

Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,

Signifying nothing.

William Shakespeare, Macbeth, act V, sc. v

There were many layers in my relationship with her during the first years of her illness that I am only now beginning to understand. The first was love, that all-encompassing love for a child that will not let go and will not give up. Holding my firstborn, and then my second daughter, I knew without a doubt that I wouldnt hesitate to do anything necessary to keep them safe. They were tiny and vulnerable, and my feelings of love were overwhelming. Although that fierce protective love settles down as children get older, it doesnt go away and is always at the ready if needed. The next layer was the clinical professional layer, always trying to analyze and figure out what the hell was going on, because if I could figure it out then I would have a chance to fix it. After love and clinical/professional there was the paranoid alert layer, always questioning whether I was overreacting or being too protective, worrying that I was filtering everything through my own past. And finally there was terrifying fear. It was always there, lurking down deep, panicked that I could lose a child.

Linea and Cinda Johnson, Perfect C haos: