Q: My niece 15 lives with me, but her alcoholic mother refuses to give custody. I provide everything, mom spends SS check.
Niece was in abusive home with mother alcoholism, and mentally ill. Grandmother who is mentally, physically, and emotionally abusive! Brother who joins in the abuse. My niece was recently in mental hospital for trying to end her life. Self harm etc. Mom has provided alcohol, vapes, and has child as her drinking Buddy! DCF has been involved and deemed our home to be her “ safety plan”. But basically said they can’t do a lot, mom has refused services. Child has been in my care consistently since June. Mom bought her back to school shoes, but never bought anything else as promised to child. So I got everything for her so she can be successful. She is a freshman and wants to quit school. I’m encouraging her getting her to think positively about her future, which is I totally new to her. Her mother likes to play games with the custody stuff. It’s so frustrating when I’m taking care of the child in every way with no help from her period. The child get SS check and mom is spending it. Help!
A: Let Mom cash the check. If you can prove abuse, hire an attorney and file for emergency custody now. If not, wait for Dec and hire an attorney and file for custody.
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
