Child protective services and custody?

Question

I'm extremely annoyed at my mom. She knows my brother's soon-to-be-ex is beating on their kid, and she knows the woman is off her rocker and she knows the woman has huge anger management issues... yet.... she is to "scared" to call CPS. She says CPS will put the child in foster care with "strangers". I keep telling her that won't happen if there is a grandmother (her) who has been involved in the kid's life since birth. She lives 10 miles away.
(And my 44 year old brother is a loser- she's "scared" to kick him out of her house because she's "scared" the kid will live in the streets with him. Both parents are ******* and the kid is used to hurt the other person.)
PS I called CPS back in March but nothing came of it.
My question: If there's a grandmother available, would the kid go to strangers/foster parents or her?
(California) Opinions welcome!

Just as a side note: grandmother has a spacious 2-bedroom/2 bath house with a huge yard, recently retired yet is very fit , healthy and active, is financially secure/solvent. The kid has always spent about 5 days with her each week. I live about 100 miles away.
I guess I am amazed and her "fear factor" mostly.

Answer 1

It's at the discretion of CPS. Keeping the child with a stable and familar family member is a priority, but they may consider other issues as well, such as your mother's income level, age, the time she has available to care for the child, if she has a spare bedroom for him, if he'll be able to attend the same school, if she'll be able to stand up for him in court against the abusive parent. Also, CPS may be reluctant to remove the child from the non-abusive parent, especially if the grandmother has not yet come forward to offer to take custody.

Encourage your mother to call CPS and offer herself as a guardian for a child... that will help remove the child from harm and reduce the chance he will be placed with strangers. Remind her that by keeping silent about the abuse, she is being an "enabler" and tacitly condoning the abuse. The foster care system is not great, and has many problems, but it is still better than being abused and neglected by the people who are supposed to love you most. If she still declines, call CPS again and inform them that the abuse is continuing, and offer what proof you can. Also call the child's school to make sure they are aware of it.
good luck!

Answer 2

Okay, I am a former social worker but not in CA, so this will be more of an educated opinion!

It is preferred to put kids in relative foster care, BUT the homes have to be approved. They do not have the same strict investigation that would be applied to regular foster homes, and while it was being done, the child would be in foster care.

If you called CPS in March and nothing came of it then you need to ask yourself why. I can offer a few suggestions.
--If this happened in a large city, the system may be too overloaded, and calls might slip between the cracks. If foster homes are really scarce then this happens a LOT because there is really no place for the kid anyway. If this is true and you can get someone to investigate, then your mom is more likely to get the child right away. Also, you might have to make the call, find out who it is assigned to, and hound that person. Not to be rude or anything, but to be a concerned squeaky wheel.
--Your call might not have contained specific enough information. For instance, "My sister-in-law frequently beats my nephew" is vague and hard to investigage. What you need is, "Yesterday my sister-in-law punched my nephew and left a bruise on his face." This is specific and easy to investigage - the social worker can go out, observe the bruise, and ask questions of the child and family.
--Your call might have contained specific information and been investigated, but there was not enough proof that abuse was occurring to take the child from the home. Sometimes they just send out a social worker each month to check on the child and counsel the parents about childcare issues. HOWEVER bear in mind that sw's are young and overloaded, and it is really common to falsify the monthly reports, because you just don't have time to see each case. Plus, because it's an awful job many of the sw's are new college grads which means they are young and inexperienced, and they end up quitting before they get the age and experience that would enable them to do their job more effectively.

Do you live close enough to determine when an incident of abuse has occurred? If not, would your mom tell you when one happened? If not, then you need to call your mom fairly often and ALWAYS casually inquire about the kid so you can determine if anything has happened recently. Then call social services and keep calling the local office till the case gets investigated, and make sure they know your mom is interested in doing relative foster care.

Whatever you do, don't give up on this. This kid's life could depend on you, and if not his life, then certainly his safety and wellbeing and opportunity to grow up w/o fear.

Answer 3

It would be best if grandmom set the ball rolling. If CPS see that she is worried about the child and doing something about it, she would more than likely get the child to stay with her. but bugger the fear factor, she must do something like yesterday. I am a grandmother and if I thought one of my grandkids were being beaten never mind CPS, I would just go and get the child clothes and all, and take the child home. Let the parents fight for custody from her.

Answer 4

I don't think so over here in Ireland(I know there different but they can't be that different) they will put the child with a famity that knows the child well or with some1 clthes to the family that has good reference but you should do something, better the child goes to some foster parents then to be beaten up

Answer 5

They might move the child into care briefly until they can establish that your mother is a safe and loving person. After that, the kids will probably be sent to live with her, since that is the most reasonable and likely cheapest thing for the state to do.

Answer 6

first of all your custodial ensure. So no CPS wont stress him to take him , he's your accountability. No ask your self your son is the way he's , he has 2 mom and father that dont desire him so he represses anger and acts out because of the fact of it. What to do.. i recommend u go get on welfare, and get into an apt first of all.. i recommend u get medicaid to your son, and get him into treatment that he definately desires, and if u cant get on welfare i recommend u go get 2 or 3 jobs if desire be to make it by skill of, i recommend u go on your state baby help enforcement workplace and make your x pay baby help and get medical coverage on your baby. As for the substance abuse there are alot of classes that can assist u with rehab centers. I recommend u get on the ball till now he's an person theres extra classes that grant help for minors then for adults. previous that if u think of that theres no way u can stay including your son or help him, then your different purely rooster s((t way out of this occasion is to award him to the state and enable somebody that would help your son accomplish that. and because whilst do tents have laptop features lol.. purely curious.. because of the fact if u have a activity which will pay u to play on yahoo. yet u cant handle to pay for a roof over your head theres an argument, and if ur utilising the library laptop then u have time to get a activity, despite if its a 1st 2d or perhaps third activity.

Answer 7

Your mother can apply to the court for full custody of the child. Under the circumstances, I think it would be a good idea for her to do so!

Answer 8

it doesn't matter they will give the kids to the next of kin.the only how they would go to foster care if there's no other family members involve or all the kids aren't his.