[high5tou]

Well as you all know we got 3 new little ones 2 weeks ago. After many conversations with CPS we have decided to hire an attorney and take legal custody of them. We go see an attorney tomorrow afternoon. CPS told us that would be in their best interest since if our Neice comes back to get them CPS will completely remove them. CPS will not help us with anything as far as fees go for an attorney. So we will be footing the bill ourselves. Just please pray that this is a smooth process for us. If we have to fight them we will go for termination of parental rights. I figure why not, CPS has more than enough evidence in their files to terminate. We are hoping and praying that all parents involved sign voluntarily (sorta with a little pressure).

Lea

[LadyBugz]

So right now you are not a foster family, right? And CPS, knowing that you are caring for your niece's children, is OK with you not doing so through the foster system? But if your niece shows up to take them back, then CPS will become involved and put the kiddos in a foster home? And then you'll be in the whole "work your plan" situation unless and until tpr happens? So you are being pro-active in trying to get rights terminated without the CPS involvement?

Did I get that all correct?

If so, I hope you have an easy road ahead! (Are the kiddos in counselling yet?)

[high5tou]

Since the mother signed over temporary custody to us, CPS let us keep them. They did do a background check to make sure we are OK. We knew we were. We have no skeletons in our closet. Neither of us has been arrested. No we are not a foster placement, we were getting ready to start the process to be come a foster/adopt placement. We had not taken the classes nor had we even turned in the paperwork. We didn't get a chance this came up before. The Temporary Custody papers are not even worth the notary stamp on them. Although we can take them to the Doctor and place them in school with that paper, that is about it. CPS thought it was in the best interest of the children to come to us instead of placing them in foster care until we could get licensed. It kept them from being moved additional times. If the mother does come to take them and CPS removes them we will have to become foster licensed before we could get them back. So we have opted to get legal custody instead of waiting around to see what the MOM is going to do. We are going to get Legal Custody with Supervised visitation. Now if the mother starts fighting this and we have to go into court and fight for the legal custody we will just go ahead and fight to remove parental rights. I mean gosh, why not? We have spoken with the oldest childs father and he will sign the papers for us to have legal custody. Of course he doesn't want the mother to have her. We have not spoken to the middle childs father yet and the baby's father is unknown. She has a father on her birth certificate but a DNA test has already proven he is not the father. So I don't know what will happen on that. I will know more this afternoon.

Lea

[high5tou]

No we have not started counseling yet. We need either medicaid or insurance first. We can not afford to pay out of pocket for 2 children to get counseling. If we get Legal Custody then we can place them on our insurance.

Lea

[hotspice58]

What are the issues with the birth mother?

[high5tou]

The birth mother is 24 and has 3 children by 3 different daddy's Well at least 2 anyway. She just wouldn't take care of them. The oldest child was mommy to the 2 little ones. She doesn't work, instead she lives off of the state and her few hundred dollars of child support. She has her head stuck up her boyfriends butt, CPS has said he is NOT to even be around the kids. There are drugs involved and I really do not know what else. Her house is the party house.

Lea