I want back my kids - Woman struggles to get custody of her children

Kehrata Simpson wants to be reunited with her three children who were taken from her by the Child Development Agency (CDA).

Simpson, 28, argued that her homelessness at the time was the reason she lost her kids, a five-year old boy and 20-month-old twins, nearly a year ago.

Simpson, who has been treated for mental illness, said she has since been the beneficiary of a Food For The Poor house and is now in a position to take care of her children.

“I lost all three kids to CDA, however after going to court two to three times, the judge only hold my living conditions against me,” Simpson claimed.

Simpson said she obtained a house from Food For The Poor in Carby district in Munro, St. Elizabeth and was of the impression after a visit by the probation officer, she would be given back her children. 

NO SCHOOL

"I need my kids and can’t get my kids, and the big boy has not been to school in over a year. The 28th of this month will be one year since I lost the kids. In the space of one year my big son has not gone to school. I have a letter from the school principal to say that my child has always been attending school,” Simpson said.

The twins were eight month old when they were taken away from her.

“To me as for the twins dem, this minute dem loose weight the next minute dem get it back and same thing with the big one, this minute him mawga down. The big one tells me him don’t like it there and him want to come and live with me. Every time I go there him bawl on me,” she claimed.

Simpson also told THE WEEKEND STAR that she has sought audience with the regional director at the CDA however to no avail.

“The probation officer is standing between me and my kids. Dem ago try tell me say me unfit to take care of my kids them and in the space of one year my child has not gone back to school.”

Simpson told our news team that she was a patient at the mental health clinic and that could also be a factor why the children are being bared from living with her.

“Since then I have been trying to get my kids and the probation officer is going to tell me that she is afraid because I reach back to mental health clinic for stress and them diagnose me with bipolar. She ago mek me know say me nah get back my kids because me unfit. She fraid fi give me dem back because she fraid me hurt them. That is totally nonsense cause me woulda hurt them long time, knowing I had no family member, no friends, a me alone and God.”

Rochelle Dixon, public relations officer at the CDA, told THE WEEKEND STAR that the agency is awaiting medical report on Simpson. 

Simpson plight with housing and inability to maintain her children was first highlighted in THE STAR publication on April 18, 2016 titled “Begging with children’s feeding tin”.

Simpson told THE WEEKEND STAR that the FFTP house, which she applied for, was expedited with the help of the Member of Parliament Franklin Witter and the Kiwanis Club because of the court order with the children.