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That's strange; I'm not familiar with the laws in your part of the country, but I believe that in many states, the biological relatives have priority when it comes to adopting... in fact Children's Services in many states goes to extreme lengths to try to keep bio-families intact. You would probably have to submit to a home study and be declared a "fit" guardian... but (just a guess), I imagine you DO have a chance at custody. I think you should contact a lawyer and get the ball rolling. I wouldn't put much stock in anyone who tells you, "There's no point in fighting, you don't have a chance." Only an attorney can tell you what your chances really are.
My personal opinion is that the purpose of foster care should be temporary guardianship of children while their bio-families have the opportunity to get their act together, with the goal of reunification with the biofamily if at all feasible, not to create a pool of available children for potential adoptive parents to draw from. I know several foster parents who have adopted, and they are wonderful parents and I have great admiration for them... but in their cases, there was no member of the bio-family who wanted custody of the children or was deemed by the state to be a fit custodian for them.
Contact a lawyer TODAY and find out what your options are... the initial consultation should be free of charge.
Best of luck to you.
~ Shar
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