Legal rights of a 16 year old

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Lucyann

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I got as close to the right category as I could, but none REALLY seemed to apply so forgive me if it's misplaced.

A little background .... My husband and I are fostering (not through the state) the 16 year old daughter of our former neighbor. We have a 15 and 8 year old of our own. Her father passed away 14 years ago. The mother has not worked since.... ever? They rented the property next to us for 6 years and I know she has never held a job in that time). When her daughter turned 16, she lost her widows benefits and things went from bad to worse, financially. She was evicted, has no steady place to stay, no job or job skills, and it's one FUBAR situation. Also many (undiagnosed, im sure) mental health issues. Hence, her signing guardianship to us for an undefined length of time. In the short amount of time she has been with us, she has made leaps and bounds in her confidence, school work, diet, etc. We are not receiving ANY compensation (not the childs social security payments, food stamps, nothing- the mother receives all of these things).

My question is this.... Does the child have any right to REFUSE to live with her mother (should the mother request her back), given she has a steady, stable and safe home to live in?
 
Not at all.

She lives wherever her parents say she lives. You can try filing for custody but that will entail either proving that Mom is actually unfit, or having her agree and formalizing it through the courts.

Proving someone unfit by legal standards is, in fact, terrifically difficult. I'm talking "leave toddler alone in car for 6 hours". I'm talking "Have child run down the street to pick up your meth from Joe Drug Dealer".

Make sense?
 
I had a feeling that was the case. Shes unfit by MY standards but that doesn't make it legal standards. I mean, I'm crazy for holding a job (technically owning two businesses), study/get decent grades, and making sure my kids eat a balanced diet and wear age appropriate clothing that fits and performing regular, basic hygiene. I'm nuts, I tell you ;)

Right now, its not even an issue (thank goodness) just thinking longer term.

Sigh.
 
I had a feeling that was the case. Shes unfit by MY standards but that doesn't make it legal standards. I mean, I'm crazy for holding a job (technically owning two businesses), study/get decent grades, and making sure my kids eat a balanced diet and wear age appropriate clothing that fits and performing regular, basic hygiene. I'm nuts, I tell you ;)

Right now, its not even an issue (thank goodness) just thinking longer term.

Sigh.

Thank you for caring, but watch out, these days the Good Samaritan doesn't just get robbed; they kill him.

My God, where is society headed?
 
OP, you sound like a good & caring person but it would be hard (& possibly impossible) to do what you wish to do. You would need a lawyer & it would have to be done through the court system.
 
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