My nephew is almost 14. His mother (my sister) died in 98. His father is a total jerk and has abandoned him. He has a friend at school he was visiting on weekends, and the friend's parents picked him up one weekend and found out my nephew had been alone all week. Once they started asking questions and my nephew started talking, they found out my brother-in-law had been disappearing for days at a time, whenever he had money (he lives on disability and my nephew's social security). It seems he got some kind of lump sum settlement from a legal dispute I never understood and just disappeared to spend it on drugs. The friend's parents tracked him down by paying a known drug abuser $20 to find him. He signed the paperwork to give them temporary custody. That was months ago. Meanwhile my brother-in-law has called a time or two, but hasn't made any effort to see my nephew. When he calls he says he's trying to save money to get them a place to live, but that's garbage.
My nephew is a good kid but not used to structure and not fitting in well with the family that has custody, and they want to place him with family. I'm in Atlanta. My niece, his sister, is 19, married, with a one year old of her own, living in a one-bedroom mobile home nearby. My nephew wants to live with her, she says she'd like that too, and I want to help them make it happen.
Would child protective services allow that under these circumstances in a one-bedroom? Can we get my brother-in-laws parental rights revoked without spending a fortune? I'm in Atlanta, planning to go there and trying to figure out where to start. I can help them financially but have limited resources to spend, would rather spend it on helping them upgrade their housing than with legal fees. My niece asked my brother-in-law to just sign and give her temporary custody instead and he said no, he's working on getting a place for them, but we think he just doesn't want to lose my nephew's social security checks. I should also mention this guy is a fabulous liar. I could see him telling a judge how hard he's trying to mend his ways. Any advice would be appreciated.
My nephew is a good kid but not used to structure and not fitting in well with the family that has custody, and they want to place him with family. I'm in Atlanta. My niece, his sister, is 19, married, with a one year old of her own, living in a one-bedroom mobile home nearby. My nephew wants to live with her, she says she'd like that too, and I want to help them make it happen.
Would child protective services allow that under these circumstances in a one-bedroom? Can we get my brother-in-laws parental rights revoked without spending a fortune? I'm in Atlanta, planning to go there and trying to figure out where to start. I can help them financially but have limited resources to spend, would rather spend it on helping them upgrade their housing than with legal fees. My niece asked my brother-in-law to just sign and give her temporary custody instead and he said no, he's working on getting a place for them, but we think he just doesn't want to lose my nephew's social security checks. I should also mention this guy is a fabulous liar. I could see him telling a judge how hard he's trying to mend his ways. Any advice would be appreciated.
