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How did the mother give up her rights? That is not something one can legally do unless it is to free a child for adoption by another person or to relinquish to a gov't ss agency during an open child abuse/neglect investigation or service plan period. SOMEONE has parental rights or guardianship of this child--they can't just be set adrift legally. If the father is truly unknown, a good-faith attempt to contact the potential fathers must be made or advertising may have to be done. If your grandson is in the legal custody of a ss agency, your best idea is to get approved/licensed to foster-to-adoption (NOT kinship placement/care) so that your grandson retains the benefits of the federal Title IV-E program--medical/mental healthcare and Medicaid to age 18, individual and family counseling/integration services, support services and training for you, maybe the adoption subsidy. Even if you are uncomfortable with the monetary component, the medical/mental healthcare may save you from bankruptcy down the road--most of these kids come with a fairly high mental healthcare price tag. Talk to his caseworker if he has one, the adoption unit of your local ss agency (which is separate from the caseworker--you may find a warmer welcome there) and an adoption attorney (find through adoption attorney association and/or findlaw.com). If your grandson is Title IV-E eligible, which he must be if your SS has all rights at the moment, the program also pays up to $2000 toward the legal costs of adoption which should cover the cost of negotiating the adoption assistance agreement and showing up in court--adoption attorneys know that and most will work with you. Good luck.
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05-05-2006, 01:26 PM
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