QUESTION
How can I get custody of my niece and nephew?
Asked on May 17th, 2018 on Child Custody - Iowa
More details to this question:
The mom didn’t take care of them. The kids smell like pee and never get a bath. It looks like the kids are being starved to death. The father only has supervised visits with the kids and was abuse of a girlfriend on his record. The kids and mom live in a camper with their 16 year old aunt and grandpa and step-grandpa. I don’t know how to go about getting custody of the kids.. please help.
1 ANSWER
You have two options - call DHS so that they may investigate and possibly pull the children from the mother's custody. There is no guarantee that you would get custody/foster care of them.
The other option is to file a guardianship proceeding to get them. This would require an attorney for you, an attorney for the children (called a guardian ad litem), and an attonrey for the mother and possibly father (unless they consent to the guardianship).
Parents have many protections, so unless they consent to your custody, it will be a difficult process to get custody of them.
Donna Miller
515-245-4300
http://www.grefesidney.com/our-team/donna-miller/
Answered on May 21st, 2018 at 6:23 AM