As I get to the front gate of my home, I see the two police officers arriving in their vehicle, asking if I am Mrs. Swart and if they may enter my gate.

I knew in that moment, that my entire family was in trouble and my child’s future was at risk.

I gracefully invited them in and we sat down. They explained that I was being summoned with a court order for child abuse. My heart started pounding and I immediately knew without a question of a doubt, that it was from a family member who has never accepted my role as a mother to my own child, nor the way in which I guide her educationally, nor nurture her health wise or spiritually through life. A family member, who believes in the system out there, more than the authentic way in which children have been raised for millennia. I was very angered and sad. Angered because it is such a close family member. Sad, because after all these years of hard work to get our daughter to the successful little person she has become, this kind of vindictive behavior still showed up. I was devastated because this family member was one, who should have our backs as a family, yet, for the second time in 4 years, I was forced to repeat this battle with this same family member. A family member, who in a flash of not getting what they wanted, turned and did such something so potentially harmful to our family unit.

The previous time through social services which cost an arm and a leg, before my innocence was proven and deemed acceptable.  This time, in court!

In my devastation, the first person I thought of contacting for assistance was Karin van Oostrum at the Pestalozzi Trust. Karin immediately responded, and I was given an opportunity to explain the entire situation to her. She did not hesitate for a moment to provide me with a free social worker and lawyer from the Pestalozzi Trust, whom I have been a member of since 2021.

I called the social worker, who jumped to work immediately. She did not hesitate for a moment to get everything in order and issue a letter to the court on our behalf.

It turned out that the court still wanted my husband and I present on the 2nd of August 2022, we were guided accordingly as to what to expect through the social worker.

The Monday morning before the court appearance, something unexpected happened. At 2am, as I walked down our double story staircase to open the door for our new puppy, I took a tumble down the staircase, which led to us spending most of the morning at the ER having to take X rays.

Thankfully, it turned out that nothing broke, and I ended up with a lightly fractured lower back vertebra and an injured hip. Which I was ‘booked off’ for two weeks! This, the day before the court case, where I needed to represent and defend my family, to ensure that our child does not get taken away for 3 months and placed into a system, which does not cater for a child’s best interest.

I kept on telling myself that this happened for a reason, and I needed to remain calm and trust that everything would be fine with only my husband attending the court attendance.

Fast forward to the next morning, my husband was gone early and arrived at the children’s court by 8am. While I was waiting in anticipation, he arrived back just after lunch time with the news:

The case was thrown out!

PHEW!!!!!

One thing I can say is this:

This was an incredibly nerve-wrecking experience for a mother and even though I have enough evidence to prove my innocence, I also know that the children’s court is no place to find yourself at as a homeschooling parent.

I would like to express deep appreciation to Karin van Oostrum and the Pestalozzi Trust, for acting so swiftly and ensuring that we had the free service of a professional social worker, who had our best interest at heart as well as assisted us with immense grace and for having a lawyer on standby, should this have gone a completely different route.

I am so grateful to be a member of the trust during this time and do not even know where we would have been without the Pestalozzi Trust’s support!

If you are a homeschooling parent, I highly suggest you become a member with the Pestalozzi Trust here: https://pestalozzi.org/en/join/

You never know when you may need them!