Q: My daughter's friend is being abused by her grandmother, her guardian. What can I do to help?
I really want to help this young lady out, before something potentially bad happens to her. I have seen the abuse first hand and DFCS won't even contact me! Please help! DFCS was called again this evening on the grandmother for not only physical, but verbal abuse. The case worker just took the information and left! The child stated she wanted to come to my house where she felt safe from harm and they told her, " no"! She would be placed in foster care. I don't understand why they would put that child in foster care, when I am more than willing to take the child, even if that meant, getting certified as a foster parent. I don't understand what Georgia is doing. I have witness the abuse first hand and a complete stranger called DFCS on them for witnessing the abuse and they did nothing, but say they would follow up even though the worker checked for food and there wasn't enough! Please tell me what I can do to help this child and get her in a safe and lovely environment.
A: If the DFCS Case Manager stated that she will be placed in foster care that means there will be a dependency hearing. The reason DFCS will not speak to you, except in an investigatory capacity, is because by statute you do not currently possess the legal right to take this child into your care. It is possible to change that. You may seriously consider hiring an attorney to discuss any potential options.
P. Justin Thrailkill agrees with this answer
A: I agree with my colleague. If they are talking about foster care, they are likely planning to file a dependency case in juvenile court. Depending on how that goes, the parent's rights may ultimately be terminated. At that point you can adopt. Until then, you have no right to information about the case, and no right to intervene, if you are not related in some way. It is possible for DFCS to place the child with "fictive kin" rather than foster care. However, blood relatives will be looked at first, and you will be on a "need to know" basis with this process.
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