Darrell Missey is standing in a room of social workers who toil in Missouri’s beleaguered child welfare system, telling the story of a young boy.
The 7-year-old lived in a loving home with his parents and two younger sisters. But his mom, who was a “wonderful and brilliant” person, suffered from mental illness. And one day, a severe episode from her bipolar disorder led to an incident that could have split the family apart.
Had the state removed the children from the home because of concerns about instability within the family, it would have changed the trajectory of the young boy’s life, as well as his siblings.
