Update on my neice that was in foster care.?

Question

ok here was my first ?

ok i have a neice who is in a foster home she has been there for awhile i did not know until recently because her mom is my half sister and i have only met her twice in my life so we are not close but i am wanting to get my neice out of foster care to live with me and my husband as we are wanting a child together this would be a great oppertunity for us as well as my neice . i called dhr or the human resource dept but they will not talk to they tell me i would have to go to family court and get a petition from a judge , how do i do this . i cant to much afford attorney fees could i go wothout an attorney is there not a case worker i could talk to first i dont know how these things work . please anyone who knows help.

so i finally got in touch with her case worker and he told me they placed her with a great aunt and uncle on her dads side of the family at just the begining of this month so i had just missed my chance to get her.she is in georgia . can i do

6 minutes ago - 3 days left to answer.

Additional Details

4 minutes ago

anything to get her with me i was never contacted and i am still in the state (alabama) also he said we could visit her if the family who has her was willing to come to alabama to visit. does anyone kow is there anything i can do . he took down my name and number and address i asked him if it did not work out where she was could he please contact me .

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Answer 1

It depends on how far the state has gone in the child's caseplan. If the state did the relative search and placed the child into a pre-adopt family it could be too late.

The only choices are to contact your own DHS or CPS office and start a Relative Home Study and also contact the child's worker and let them know you want to be considered as a Relative Placement...

The state generally does not make a permanant plan for children until at least a year in foster care has passed. The state will consider the fact that family members didn't know until too late as an indication that the family bond isn't much more then complete strangers would be. Most families don't live UnAware that children are in Foster Care.... so....coming in late after the child has been placed into a pre-adoptive home doesn't add up to Family Bond in their minds.

The ONLY thing you can do is contact the state the child/ren are in and ask to notify the child's worker to inform them that you want a relative or kinship Home Study and you want to be considered as a relative placement.... That is it.... at the same time the relatives wanting that child need to have a relative or kinship home study there is not much else that can be done....and if it is too late paying a lawyer won't change it.

I am so sorry when I hear of these situations happening....but, the states really don't want to keep children in limbo for any longer then needs be--it is long term non-permanent Foster Care that hurts the children the most in the end and the states are doing the best they can to be sure that children have a perm family to Grow Up with as soon as they are legally obligated to find this....usually if a child has been in care 16 months in a row it is assumed that any family with any real concern for the child would know by this time and make their inerests known long before a year has passed....

I hope that you can get someplace and find out the details of the case plan as soon as possible... I also hope that you can get in and get the home study done ASAP as this is required for any adoption placement.... Good Luck this is a sad fact of what is taking place all the time with children in Foster Care and we all agree we don't want children living in Temp situations any longer then need be.... I hope that you can reach the child's worker today---call the DHS/CPS office in the child's state--if no one has an answer KEEP asking for the Next person in line who might.... Ask for the Supervisior.

One note to remember is this--if the parental rights have been terminated and the child is placed into a pre-adoptive home your rights have also been terminated as family and the state protects the privacy of children who do not have parents as if the state is the parent.... They will Not tell you any facts about the child or the child's case if it is too late.... If the child is placed as an adoption placement then that child and the adoptive parents have the right to privacy and to protect the placement of the child from people who have no rights.....

This seems to be a situation that may be a matter of being a day late and hopefully you can get answers that might prove otherwise....

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Answer 2

If she is safe and healthy in the home where she is now, try and develop a relationship with her but don't try and move her. God only knows what she has been through. I just went through this with my nephews, their mom was killed in a car accident in Tennessee and my brother was deemed unfit (which he is-never grew up, drinks a lot, not violent, just very immature). I started fighting like h**l to get these kids. I hired attorneys, spent hours on the phone with social workers and the guardian ad litem. about $20k and three months into I asked the boys if they were excited about coming to live with us. The older one said yes, he wanted to come for a few days but he wanted to live with his uncle. I was heart broken. I have three kids my husband and I make good money, we have recently built a new house where we have plenty of room for them. and after talking to the single uncle who lives in a two bedroom condo, we felt it would be best for the boys to stay with him (the reason being he had a daily relationship with them, and I only talk to them on the phone and see them on holidays). I cried for months, I missed their mom and felt like they had been taken from me. I keep in touch and they are thriving. It kills me not to have them with me but because of the situation they are better off and that is what matters.

That being said, if you think the situation is unhealthy or unsafe or that she isn't happy their all I can say is get a good attorney and plan on spending some cash. The state will not deal with you or take you seriously once they have been placed.

Answer 3

Have you tried contacting the great aunt & uncle directly?  Maybe they only took her because they thought no one else in the family would, but it may be that they would appreciate someone else stepping forward.  It doesn't hurt to offer, to at least let your niece know that more than one part of her family cares about her.

Answer 4

Perhaps the older couple too her to get her out of the state and into a family atmosphere. Contact hem. They may love her but see that she belongs with a younger couple. If it works out that way please allow them to stay in contact and visit.

Answer 5

Please don't take this the wrong way, but if you can't afford an attorney; what makes you think you can afford a child. I know that you have a need or want to have a child, but in this case please think of the child's best interest not yours. If she was placed with other relatives and is still there it is because the home is best suitable for her at this time

Answer 6

I'm not sure there is much you can do at this point. I'd suggest visiting her where she is and letting them know that if the need ever arises, you'ld be happy to take over her care.

Answer 7

I live in GA and I have dealt with DFCS before (my daughter was placed in foster care- she is now home with me). DFCS will seek permanent custody after 15 months if the parents have not made substantial progress towards getting the child back. At 15 months, they will decide to either to place the child permanently or continue with the case plan. You should try to find out who the child's CASA worker is. DFCS should be able to tell you. The CASA worker's job is to make a recommendation in the child's best interest. They are independant from DFCS, the foster care system, the parents, etc. So they will make a recommendation based on what is best for the child and no one else. They may be able to help you.

Answer 8

Since the child is with family I think that is what is most important.  Now had she been placed with non family and you were willing to take her I can understand but the child has been placed with family.  As said who knows what this poor child has been through how long she has been in FCS. Now she has some stability in her life it would be wrong to try and take that away from her.

You should try and contact these people and request that you would like to be involved in the child’s life. Visits heck maybe  in time they’d even be willing to let her come stay with you a few weeks over the summer.   Maybe this people truly wanted to take in their great niece and they could be a good fit for her.