AboutPeter C. Winkler, CSW Expertise I have experience with adoption subsidy, the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children and variety of other adoption related matters. I hope that I can be helpful to those who are considering adoption or would like to adopt a child.
Experience I am a social worker with an MSW and I have over thirty years of experience in family and children's services. I have worked as Director of adoption services and of the Interstate Compact in a large state agency. I have also provided direct services to children and families in a preventive services program. I currently prepare adoption studies for those who are adopting domestically or internationally.
Question I have several questions, but i'll try to make this short. :) my husband's sister had a little baby boy 3 weeks ago. she has had 2 children previously, and put them both up for adoption within a couple of weeks of their birth. with this one, she was on drugs and had a serious drinking problem for the first month she was pregnant. (she says she quit everything as soon as she found out she was pregnant).
to make a long story short, she seems to have purposely set herself up to lose this child by cussing out her social worker & cps agent, breaking all the rules set for her by cps (based on her history) and taking her baby with her to parties where people were cutting themselves and each other.
The state took custody of her baby, and her mother called us to be at the custody hearing because we (my husband and i) desperately want this child. because we live in north carolina and the baby is in tennessee, we were denied temporary custody and it was given to the baby's grandmother until may 27th when there will be a 2nd hearing. the judge advised before she can grant us custody, there will have to be a home study.
i've been trying to look up the process online, but all I can find is info on adoption. we plan to eventually adopt, but right now finances don't allow it. this isn't something we'd planned. i just want to know what to expect, and what the laws are. the mother is voluntarily giving us custody and wants to sign away all parental rights to us. the grandmother also wants us to take him because she doesn't want to raise another child at her age. any info you can give me on this process would be awesome. also, will the case worker show up unannounced? what will be expected when they do show up? the CPS agent told us that if we don't get custody, but the grandmother does, grandma can basically pass the baby to us and after having him for 6 months, we can transfer custody from her to us. do you know if that's true? thanks so much for all your help. :) - heather
Answer Heather-You are describing a situation in which the Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children is potentially involved. This Compact is a law that all of the states have passed and it applies to children in foster care. It is unclear whether the court has placed the child in foster care. You nephew could be taken into foster care and stay with the grandmother until a home study is done of your home. Then the authorities in TN would request NC to conduct a home study of your home to determine whether it is a suitable place for the child and that everyone living there is reputable. NC won't do a home study unless the requst is made through the Compact and things can be delayed because background reports need to be submitted along with the request as it goes from state to state. If things are done this way, you will not be charged for the home study. The child shouldn't be placed with you until NC approves your home. You might try calling the state Compact staff in Raleigh for further information on how the process works, but they won't do anything until they get the paperwork and request from TN.
