If you want to read the full story, please check through my blog and you will find how this all started a little over 7 months ago.

greatcircle.org

Not long after they received this letter, I got an official invitation to meet with the team leader.
This meeting happened Wednesday. I will write all about this later today or tomorrow, but first I want to tell you what happened after the case worker's last visit and why we believe that this was also her work.

My friends at my house at the same time as case worker

My friends J. and D. were at my house one morning, about two weeks ago. I had some issues with my water tank in the attic and D. was going to see if he could get this fixed, so we were just on our way out to the hardware store for something when the case worker dropped by to introduce a colleague who was going to 'work' with the children (read: interview them on their own).
We didn't have much time because J. and D. had other plans after this.
We told her so and she ensured us that 'this would only take a few minutes'.
In the second link above, you can read what happened during that visit and how I got threatened with a court order after just asking questions.
But what's important right now are the following two things:

While we were having a discussion about having my kids interviewed on their own, which I didn't agree to, J. said to the case worker that she wouldn't let them interview her children alone either if she were in my shoes.
STRIKE ONE!

J.'s and D.'s kids are also home-schooled. The other social worker (who seemed a thousand times nicer than mine) was talking to my son who was doing something on the PC. The conversation she had with him (and J. who was by her side) must have been about home schooling (I was in conversation with the other) because at some stage I heard J. say that with homeschooling kids really don't need to do more than a couple of hours of work in a week, because they learn faster and the rest of the day are learning moments galore. I heard her say this, so I am pretty sure my case worker did too.
STRIKE TWO!

The fake referral

The next day, I was at J. and D.'s house to collect my children. They go there once a week so I can work.
As I sat down at the table, J. handed me a letter addressed to her...
It was from Tusla (Child and Family agency).
In the letter it said that a referral had been made about the welfare of her children and if she could meet a social worker at their office the following week. The first person that came to my mind was my case worker...
Of course, J. was on the phone with them about it, but had to wait till the following week (one day before the actual meeting) to speak to the case worker about the concerns.
The case worker wouldn't tell her what it was about over the phone, but she was able to tell J. that it was regarding a brand new referral that had only come in the day before.
Hmmmmm....Is it a coincidence that this was the same day we all spoke to the case worker and her colleague? I don't think so. Two Dutch families who both home school their kids in Ireland. What are the odds?

The next day J. and D. went to the meeting. The reasons for their concern (so the concerns of whomever made the call)?

1. The kids had been seen walking around outside on the road by themselves.
2. Their house was messy
3. They didn't have much structure when it comes to homeschooling.
4. The kids were always hungry...

The first accusation was wiped off the table right away. They live on a road where cars are allowed to drive 80km per hour (50 mph), but many cars drive much faster. No person in their right mind would allow their kids to walk around on the side of a road like that.

A messy house....Well, it is quite a small house for a family of 8 (two parents, one 18 year old son and 5 kids).
Their hall way looks like a library. A couple of hundred books in bookshelves.
Their utility room with the washing machine is in the middle of the house, between the kitchen and the sitting room. Only in Ireland... Their living room is pretty small. With six children, you tend to have a lot of stuff.
Messy? No, not really. Not enough storage space? Yes, but hardly their fault. But the house is never dirty. EVER.

Not much structure in regards to homeschooling.... Well, they are unschoolers like us. However, they have more routine and structure in a day than we have. I can bend the rules sometimes by 'schooling' at different times or not at all when we have a lot on, but I know that my children learn all day long.
With J. and D. it's different. They even have a schedule for their day stuck to the wall. J. used to be a teacher.
They have this schedule because they need it with 6 kids. I don't really, because only two of my four kids are homeschooling. The eldest is in school and the youngest isn't even 4 years old yet.
So this accusation is complete bull and could only be coming from someone that has no knowledge about homeschooling at all... All who think this was the case worker raise their hands...

source: pixabay.com

The fourth accusation was probably the most ridiculous one. The kids are always hungry.
J. told me that she was outraged at this. She had asked their case worker if providing the kids with 3 meals a day wasn't enough?
Kids are always 'hungry'. My kids are. Whenever we go to someone else's house and they spot a cookie jar or something else edible, they casually mention that they're 'hungry'. I've even been accused once for not feeding my children. By people who didn't have children (my old neighbours). My kids would go there and say they were hungry.
The reason for that was because we used to bring these people to go grocery shopping and all they'd buy was crap.
French fries, burgers, pizza, candy....Of course the kids would be 'hungry' when they entered their house.
Fact is, neither my children nor those of J. and D. know what hunger is. They never have and hopefully never will.

The guessing game

J. was telling me that there are only three people who ever came into their home (besides me).
She ruled out her two neighbours strictly by how they responded when she asked.
The third person was so shocked about the whole story and he immediately called all kinds of people to help them clear their name. Does that sound like someone who would make an anonymous call to CPS?
I don't think so.
My first guess was my case worker and I'm sticking to it.
It's quite easy to make accusations and make a wild guess as to what to accuse someone with.
6 children usually means that a house is not always as tidy as one would like.
She heard J. tell the colleague about homeschooling, so that was another wild guess.
Kids walking around outside. A GUESS.
Kids always hungry? I have a friend who's son always says he is starving to death. Is he really?
No - Absolutely not.

Personally, I am for 99.9% sure that this was the work of my case worker.
I would definitely not put it past her. Not because she's so concerned about my kids or their kids, or any kids for that matter. But because she is a sour, unhappy little B%&$@#.
Maybe she's trying to drive a wedge between me and my friends in the hope that they might say they can't be involved with us anymore. That way, their support would disappear and she could say I'm all alone dealing with everything.
I wouldn't put that past her either.

It's an insane world we're living in. A world where we have to prove over and over again that we're capable of raising our own children according to guidelines set by people who haven't got the slightest clue how to do it themselves.
People who would do anything to prove a point or set you up out of spite.
We will probably never find out if it was her because cowards usually don't just come out and tell you, but I have very strong suspicions...And so do J. and D.
They will have their home visit next week...

Do you think my story is an exception? Think again!

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