DCS Adopt/they didn't TPR & allow us adopt thru them

Our niece's original sw wouldn't talk with us at all when I asked about adoption, but then her supervisor took over the case to "free up" the original sw for the state audit, I was told. The supervisor then told us we can adopt our niece and that we needed to get our paper work together, and first and foremost to sign up and go to the required PATH classes. Well we signed up for them, we all went and had physicals and TB skin tests (5 of us) we even had our 8 outdoor cats given their rabies shots (as we were told was required) and had collected all the necessary documents on their list. We were to begin the PATH classes in mid Oct. and in early Oct. we were told of the judge's decision of "severe abuse" and found out that the state wasn't going to TPR, and we were told nonchalantly by the GAL that we can just get our attorney later on and do that ourselves. I think they thought we'd just do it. I have emailed Gov. Bredesen, and he responded by saying he has passed my email along to the DCS Commissioner. I haven't heard anything from her yet, but its only been a few days. THANK YOU ALL, for your advice, words of sympathy, etc.