Went to court today...

Ok, it is a looooooooooong story to tell, and I am not sure I will give all the details, but I will give you the basic idea.

My brother met a girl.

This girl is nice, but she has some mental problems.

For the most part, you can't really tell she has problems. I mean, she isn't a raving lunatic or anything, but she does have some diagnosed issues that she will always have to deal with.

Due to these problems, some bad choices and friends/family who turned on her, and turned her in to DHS, she had lost custody of two children ( both at different times ).

Now, my brother loved her and thought that he could "fix" her. They got pregnant and had an adorable baby girl.

Sadly, because she had 2 children already in custody, DHS automatically took custody of this baby, making 3 children she now has in DHS custody.

I am not saying that she does or does not deserve to have her children, but I am saying my brother has a God-given right to prove himself as a father...the same as any other parent who ever has children.

Unfortunately, DHS decided that because he dated her, he is not fit to be a father and has no rights to his child.

Ok, a little background on what has happened so far....

My mother immediately requested to be a foster parent to her new granddaughter. DHS dragged their feet because the baby had been placed with the same foster mother as the girlfriends second child. This foster mother is old enough to be the grandmother of these babies...not that makes a major difference, but if they are going to be with a grandmother, then shouldn't they be with a blood related relative that wants them?

Well, finally after months of trying, my mother was able to get the younger 2 girls ( the oldest child in custody is in another state ).

Eventually, the courts worked out a "re-unification" plan with the parents and they were able to regain custody of the 2 girls. After a short period of time, my brother and his girlfriend decided to split up and she took the girls to anther county in the state to live with her mother.

Apparently, from what I have been told, the girlfriends sister called DHS on her and once again, the 2 babies were taken back into custody. My mother immediately tried to get the girls placed with her once again, but DHS decided that the foster parent in their county was a more convenient place for the girls. What I want to know is.....what happened to the DHS creed, "family trumps all"? My mother had already been approved for foster care, had already had the girls, and wanted them again, but they chose to instead give them to a stranger.

This all occurred in Feb. of '07. Fast forward to today.

Because of my most recent incident with DHS and my other niece, I decided to go after getting my brothers little girl. Up until recently, I had not been financially able to support her, but I am now in the position to provide for her and her half sister.

I hope this is clear so far.....

so....I contacted DHS in the county where the girls are right now and told them I would like to have the girls placed with me where they can be surrounded by their cousins, aunts/uncles and grandparents and have a place to live as long as absolutely necessary.

Well...I have received nothing but resistance from this small county DHS system. From everything I have researched about the judge and the county's DHS workers, it is nearly impossible to win a case in favor of one or both of the parents.

I need lots of luck, lots of information and tons of resolve to pull not only myself but my disheartened brother through this affair.

We are in it for the long haul and will fight for the girls to be reunited with their father who has done nothing wrong.

I am sure after posting this, I will see much information that I neglected to add, so I will piece the story together better as time allows, but for now, I am off to finish some homework.

more drama to come!