You absolutely have to look at your state's specific laws to get on even ground when discussing with a cw. THEN, if needed, you need to understand that any agency can always go further than the law mandates if it is in the best interest of the child--that is, if the law requires that AT LEAST these people with a relationship to the child be considered, then more may be as long as it doesn't conflict with another mandated interest.
The cw is reading a restriction against more distantly related kin where there is none and her reading conflicts with the spirit of the law, which is to honor the child's right to identity and family of origin.... Her director, if budget-conscious, will see that immediately because if they don't place with you, they will be wasting another expensive-to-develop and hard-to-find adoptive resource on a child that has family willing to take him/her. Be ready to go over her head to someone who has more sense if she continues to sing this tune.
Check
State Statutes
for various topics in CA child-welfare law. Here is one thing that might help:
California
Relative Placement for Foster Care and Guardianship
Citation: Welf. & Inst. Code § 361.3
In any case in which a child is removed from the physical custody of his or her parents pursuant to § 361,
preferential consideration shall be given to a request by a relative of the child for placement of the child with the
relative.
For purposes of this section:
•
‘’Preferential consideration’’ means that the relative seeking placement shall be the first placement to be
considered and investigated.
•
‘’Relative’’ means an adult who is related to the child by blood, adoption, or affinity within the fifth degree of
kinship, including stepparents, stepsiblings, and all relatives whose status is preceded by the words ‘’great,’’
‘’great-great,’’ or ‘’grand,’’ or the spouse of any of these persons even if the marriage was terminated by
death or dissolution. However, only the following relatives shall be given preferential consideration for the
placement of the child: an adult who is a grandparent, aunt, uncle, or sibling.