[Sleeplvr]

Were the parents married? I know that here in Georgia the paternal side is not recognized as a resource if the child has not been legitimized. Even the father can't take custody until he goes to court to legitimize the child. I'm going through this with our two year foster son and 7 week old foster daughter. The parents are not married in either case. The father is entitled to visits but not custody until this is done. I know that in the two years old case the father had lined up a couple of relatives to take him because he was in jail at the tiime. DFCS would not even contact them because the father had no legal relationship to the child. The two year old was finally legitimized last month and will moving in with the father in January. We were told that the two year old was about sure as you can get in a foster to adopt situation. When he moved in with us the TPR hearing had been set. By the way, the two year old has been in foster care since he was three months old. Maternal relatives were not an option since they were the ones that placed him in care.
Both of my foster children were/are drug babies and that probably played a factor in relatives not stepping up.

Just keep an eye out for stall tactics. The father had lined up relatives to take the child then turned around and asked for a DNA test. Then he claimed he never received a caseplan. He had been given a caseplan shortly after the child went into care but had not signed it. DFCS had even gotten him out of jail for court dates. If you are dealing with a couple of jailbirds they know the system and how to work it.
If you can, please read the child's casefile. It has all the relatives listed that they have considered as a placement. It should have the reason they were rejected or declined the placement.