Can I keep my stepdaughter here if her mothers electricity is off and has been for 2 weeks?
Stepdaughter does not want to go home,we don't have enough money to start a case yet, but her mother in Texas has no electricity...and this is one of many reasons why my stepdaughter refuses to get on the plane she says the power has been on and off 5 times this past year...cockroaches, water on and off, crack dealer two doors down and mom spends and drinks child support up. The phone is disconnected as well, and her mother uses the neighbors phone to call. Can we keep her and should I contact the authorities about the other two little girls? Her 8 yr. old half sister has a different dad and the two yr old's dad is living with the mother and out of work..the mom is out of work too and has been for 3 yrs., they live off the two girls child support and public aid...do not pay bills...and is it right for me to contact the father of the 8 yr old and let him know what is going on? And can her mother call the police on us if the 13 yr old wants to stay here?
Answers:
I would recommend calling child protective services on the mother before sending your daughter back. They will do an investigation into the home, and if the conditions are as bad as your daughter has said, then they will remove the children from her home. I live in Texas, and we have had heat indexes above 100 degrees all week, so it is dangerous not to have electricity, for small children, in particular, just because of the heat. If CPS doesn't think it's an unhealthy environment, though, and your visitations are limited by a court order, you will probably have to send your daughter back, or risk being held in contempt of court.
Is there a custody order already in place? If yes and the mother has custody, then no you cannot, I would however call CPS and they can enact a temporary order unitl a hearing can be set.
Well, you and your husband need to protect this girl. He needs to contact social services in Texas. Mom will call the police and try to charge you with interfering with child custody, but since you are not abducting the child this remains a civil matter. You can't go to court outside of Texas, and you should stay the heck away from anything to do with the other children, you have a big enough problem already.
Run, don't walk, to your lawyer's office, for two reasons: You're more likely to get proper legal advice from your lawyer than here, and he/she can get things started immediately.
If the situation is that bad, you need to get something going in court in case the mother decides to call the cops on you.
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