John and Joanne Smart have been married for 41 years They have 3 adult children all in high paying jobs and they occasionally babysit their 3 year old grandson on weekends to give their middle son and his lovely wife a break. They are looking forward to travelling around Australia in 5 years time when John retires as they have worked hard all their life and have superannuation and savings. Their oldest daughter has recently had a baby and they cant wait to see her and the baby. They are living the dream. 3 pm on Sunday afternoon there is a knock on their door. Their daughter is missing and there is no sign of the baby. The police ask if they know of any of her friends, which they do and pass on the names. They are both beside themselves with worry. After the police leave there is another knock at the door. A woman holding a baby asks if they are John and Joanne Smart. She says that she allowed their daughter to have a fix and accepted the baby as payment but after thinking about it she decided it was wrong and so here, this is yours. Joanne starts crying, John is angry. Who has done this to their little girl? They ring the police and say the baby is safe with them. The police have to notify child protection and within the hour they are there asking and assessing. They explain that their daughter has been on their radar for months as her drug habit is getting worse and she is showing concerning behaviours. John and Joan are shocked, they know nothing of this, no one said anything to them and they never suspected a thing. The baby starts screaming and Joanne tries to soothe her. The Child Protection worker informs the Smarts that because the baby is with drawing from Ice she may be hard to settle. John and Joannes nightmare has begun. Over the next 5 years after fighting their daughter for custodial rights through the courts, $300,000 for the best legal representation, they are still no closer to being safe and secure as drugs has changed their daughter. They never seen it coming, but now its all about her needs and her wants and she continues to get legal aid to fight them through court. She has not passed one drug screen in 5 years, or done any of the requirements to get her daughter back. But thats not her fault, there is always an excuse and she is always given a chance. John and Joanne have aged greatly in 5 years, the early mornings, the appointments for a drug affected toddler, their savings are gone, they had to install security to protect them from their daughters supporters who believe they stole the child and are abusing it in the most horrible ways. Their friends have disappeared as they can no longer attend events for seniors with a 5 yr old on tow and their other children are sick of the drama and now distance themselves from their parents. They are no longer living the dream. They receive constant death threats, Joanne spent a week in hospital after being bashed at the local supermarket, they are unable to work and have to fund all of their living expenses and their grand daughters medical appointments from their own money, Centrelink, and superannuation. Why? Because the services are not forthcoming with information to kinship carers. What have they done wrong? It depends who you ask, some say it is their fault for raising a drug addicted daughter, some say it was their choice to take on the little angel they care for. Either way they are screwed. They grieve the loss of their own children, they grieve the loss of the life they had and thought they would have and they struggle to understand why they are in this situation. But still they fight for the little grand daughter that they love beyond a doubt and will protect with their life. It may cost them their life as stress impacts us all. No one is accountable, not their daughter not the drug dealer, not the services set up to help them but dont, and not society that allows this to happen by turning a blind eye, and pretending we are fine, that we are supported and living on easy street. To those that do support us, your kind words and actions of encouragement can mean the difference between life and death, and for that we all thank you beyond what words can convey. This is reality, this is not a dream, this is a nightmare!