For the first time, the three children of the family in the woods were able to spend a few hours with their mother and father in the new home in Palmoli made available by the municipality. The children had been removed last November and transferred to a foster home in Vasto. The meeting, which began around 4:30 pm, went smoothly and lasted longer than expected, partly to make up for last week's, which was cancelled due to unsafe and confidential conditions. The children arrived by car accompanied by social workers, their guardian, and the guardian from the Juvenile Court of L'Aquila. Their parents and the family's two dogs, Spirit and Sophie, were waiting for them.
The parents' lawyer, Simone Pillon, reported that when the car stopped, the children "got out running and screaming with joy." The mayor of Palmoli, Giuseppe Masciulli, who respected the confidentiality of the meeting, reported at the end that he had received positive feedback from the lawyer, social services, and the guardian and curator. "The meeting went well and everything went as planned," the mayor said, referring to the start of the "cycle of the children's return home with their families."
According to Pillon, the afternoon passed in a "joyous and serene" atmosphere: Catherine had baked gingerbread cookies, the children played, and then they cooked dinner with their parents. The family's reconnection process now includes other opportunities for reunions, including in the house in the woods, where the children will be able to see the farm animals again, including the donkey and horse, to which they are particularly attached .
The order from the Juvenile Court of L'Aquila also provides for the gradual introduction of overnight weekends starting mid-October. Meanwhile, the legal front remains open. On November 3, the appeal filed by the defense against certain aspects of the order will be heard at the Court of Appeal of L'Aquila. Among the issues raised are the timing of the return, for which the parents are requesting a more expedited process , the children's health conditions, and the possibility of homeschooling.
(Unioneonline)
