I feel accused, and I feel the need to reply to some of the questions. I don?t care for the ugly turn this has taken.
First of all, the need for a court order from Utah was what Steve Nadauld told us would be required for them to allow the boy to be removed from their program. Any orders we could provide from our home state courts, which had jurisdiction over the custody, would not be recognized or accepted. We asked to have this put in writing, and Mr. Nadauld refused. I can prove this, should it ever be required. By the time it could have been addressed in the Utah courts, it would have been too late to help.
So far as considering a lawsuit, we discussed it. We have no obligation, moral or otherwise, to drag our family through the legal system. I do feel an obligation to let others know that this ?business? can violate your rights as a joint legal custodian, in every conceivable way. And they can put your child through their program against your wishes. We don?t want tainted money that was made off the misery of children and incompetence/desperation of parents. When he is an adult, he may pursue it legally if he chooses. But for now he?s been through enough. We are concentrating on helping him heal and do not want any distractions. He has asked to see the documentation we have, and we have provided it to him. We?ve answered all his questions about how he came to be there, and the reasons we were not able to have him released. He can see that the forms were faxed back and forth between Redcliff, his mother?s employer?s fax, and the business fax of the unrelated third party that signed as his father, in the week prior to his abduction. He lost 80 days of his life there. He is entitled to know how that was allowed to happen to him.
Yes, we contacted every official and agency that could possibly offer us any assistance. We hit roadblocks repeatedly, due to privacy concerns. We were shuffled from one agency to another. We even tried to confirm that they had at least complied with the Interstate Compact laws that cover transporting children between states for this sort of purpose. No dice, privacy issues. We received a reply from Alan Sevison, the Assistant Attorney General in Utah, stating he could only help us if we had a complaint of abuse. Unfortunately, Utah does not consider these activities to be abuse. Apparently Oregon has the same view, and that is why these two states are such a haven for the WT business. Redcliff claims that the law allows them to accept a child with the permission of a single parent or guardian. They say they are under no obligation to recognize the legal rights of any other parent. Their own contract contradicts this, but my husband could hardly force them to comply with an agreement he never entered into with them. The state licensors would do nothing to help us. They are only there to make sure Redcliff meets their requirements with regard to the health and safety of the kids. I?m not sure their task is even achievable, given the nature and logistics of Redcliff. How do you pop in unexpectedly somewhere in the midst of a 650 square mile wilderness?
I haven?t bashed Redcliff. I haven?t made damaging claims. I HAVE STATED FACT. If stating our factual experience is damaging, they should rethink their policies. I?m sure Redcliff is aware of the things I have said. I would invite them to contact me, and I would be thrilled to have the opportunity to address this with Steve Nadauld (or any of his associates), as he ended any dialogue some time ago by refusing to accept or return phone calls, and has not responded to certified mail. He made it clear my husband had NO rights whatsoever. A father?s right to see or even speak to his own son was superceded by the arrogant rights of a profitable business entity. If they feel I have stated anything that is not 100% true, I invite their rebuttal. I would love to hear them publicly justify accepting a child against the wishes of his father who had joint legal custody, with an application and contract that had more red flags than Tiananmen Square, against the recommendation of the child?s psychologist (whom they never even bothered to contact).
I have not left out ?unflattering facts?. I have hid nothing. Frankly, the implication confuses me. You strongly feel that you did everything you could to help your son. You feel you utilized Redcliff as a last resort when all other options had been exhausted. You are comfortable that after 100 days in the wilderness, your son has changed and has a new lease on life. You have made this determination after spending a few days with him, and from phone calls you receive from him at school. I seriously hope to God that you are right. I want to believe this every bit as much as you do. It hurts me to think of the kids who have lost precious time from their lives to this industry. But in actuality you can?t possibly know until he is back with your family, interacting on a daily basis.
By the way, did Redcliff come through with any of the academic credit they claim to offer? The things they sent us were absolutely ridiculous, and I?m sure the local school board is still laughing that we would even present it to them for consideration.
My goal is to educate parents about our experience. We felt like we were living in a communist country, or unable to wake up from a nightmare. We worried that he would never be able to forgive us for being unable to help him. It nearly killed us. Our circumstances were different from yours. Obviously Redcliff treated us differently than they did you and your family. They denied a father access to his son, and somehow felt justified in doing so. Any parents who are considering such a placement need to determine whether a facility has the INTEGRITY they should expect and demand from anyone who would be charged with helping their child. They have to know their rights won?t be violated, and their family won?t be exploited. Parents should share their experiences and support each other. Otherwise we will all be at the mercy of carefully scripted websites and advertisements, designed to prey on the desperation of frightened parents. And ultimately our children will pay the price if we aren?t thorough and diligent.
