Brenda Bradshaw with her grandchildren Connor and Nick (left) and Jack (right). Photos supplied by family.
Health Impact News/MedicalKidnap.com
On August 10, 2015, the Headley family waited outside of Family Court in Spartanburg, South Carolina, to find out if they would get their children back. Unfortunately, there would be no decision made on that day and court was continued. The next court date has not been set.
Read our original story on the Headley family:
Four Boys in South Carolina Medically Kidnapped When Parents Ask for Second Opinion
William Headley’s mother, Brenda Bradshaw, was in court on August 10 and states:
I asked the social worker if I could take care of my grandchildren and she told me that I would have to do a home inspection and took my number. No one has called me.
The family all pitched in and got Brenda’s home ready for a home visit and the grandchildren. Brenda continues to wait for social services to call her:
I don’t understand why they will not let me take my grandchildren. I work, I’m not disabled, and I have a clean home. I can take care of those kids.
Spartanburg County Police Officer Threatens to Take Grandmother to Jail
When children are medically kidnapped from their families, it affects everyone, especially the grandparents. On the day that the Headley children were kidnapped, July 10, 2015, Brenda received a phone call from a co-worker stating that the police were at her son’s home.
Brenda remembers that day with sadness:
I was driving to their house and I felt like I was going to have an anxiety attack.
When she arrived at her son’s house and walked onto the porch, she asked a Spartanburg County police officer what was wrong with her grandchildren and Brenda said that he threatened:
If you don’t get off of this porch now, I am going to handcuff you and take you to jail.
Brenda said that she addressed the officer that threatened her:
You’ll are hurting these kids more than anyone, getting them out of bed and all this commotion, they don’t understand.
Brenda Bradshaw has a large family of six children. In addition to raising her children, she raised three of her daughters children and said:
“They are all grown and gone,” she continues, “I have a home with three bedrooms. Why can’t the boys be with me?”
Why does social services overlook possible placement of children with their grandparents?
Spartanburg County Department of Social Services (DSS) website states, “Services are provided to strengthen families, to enable children to remain safe in the home.” It further states that one of the main missions is, “Recognizing that Child Protective and Preventive Services are child centered and family focused. They are designed to ensure that reasonable efforts are made to maintain children safely in their own home, to reunite the family as soon as possible if removal of a child or parent is necessary.”
The website provides further information regarding Kinship Care, “Kinship caregivers are one of South Carolina’s greatest resources. They are grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors, family friends, godparents, and other people who have a meaningful connection to the child.”
There is information on the website that alludes to keeping families together or placing children with family members, but that does not seem to be the case according to Brenda Bradshaw.
Grandmother Says We Rely on the Doctors to Know What to Do
Brenda talked about her grandchild Jack, who has had lots of health problems since he was born.
He couldn’t drink this milk, he had so many different types of formula. The boy has intestinal problems.
She said that he was so constipated that feces was coming out of his feeding tube and his parents would take him to the hospital:
That’s what you are supposed to do, we are not educated enough to know how to clean his intestines out.
When the children were removed, Brenda wanted to understand why this decision was made, so she sat down at the hospital and read through Jacks medical records. Brenda said according to the records:
One doctor wanted to do this procedure, and another doctor wanted to do something else. We rely on the doctors to know what to do.
Brenda said that Danielle knows how to take care of Jack:
“But when poop was coming out of his feeding tube, she would take him to the hospital, what was she supposed to do?” her voice began to tremble on the verge of tears.
Help the Headley Family!
Governor of South Carolina is Nikki Haley at 803-734-2100. She can be contacted here.
4th Congressional District – Harold Watson “Trey” Gowdy III at 864-241-0175, 202-225-6030. He can be contacted here.
Spartanburg County Department Social Services – Danielle Bowles at 864-426-3610. Contact their office here.
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