Adoption of Fran

When this litigation began, Fran, Sally, and Jane, *456now respectively aged eight, six and one-half, and five and one-half years, were living with their father and mother and a group of other adults and children in an environment permeated by strict and unyielding adherence to the group’s religious beliefs. On November 10, 1999, after an investigation by the Attleboro and Seekonk police departments and the Department of Social Services (DSS), a juvenile court judge entered emergency orders awarding DSS temporary custody of the children. See G. L. c. 119, § 24. Following a trial held nine months…