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We are fostering my 15 month old nephew through an ICPC (last TPR is next week) and in the meantime my sister gave birth to another baby in another state, Texas. I filed a report with Texas’s department of family services immediately upon hearing that the new baby was born with trace amounts of meth in its system out of concern for the baby’s wellbeing. This was the case for my nephew as well and bio mom has been completely absent from the case plan, abandoning the baby from birth at the hospital, and neither she nor suspected father have submitted to a single court mandated genetic or substance abuse test. The new baby, my niece, was allowed to go home with bio parents and as far as I know there hasn’t been any investigations. This baby has now died at 7 weeks old. While we’re waiting for autopsy results I have strong suspicions this was the result of neglect or child abuse.
Is there anything I can do? I’m irate that the department allowed a drug-addicted mother, non-compliant in an open case in another state where she is also facing drug charges, to keep this child. I want to insure that an investigation truly takes place as to both bio parents role in my niece’s death, and that the department is held accountable if they were indeed negligent. I’m concerned given the apparent disconnect between what’s happened and is happening in my nephew’s case in one state and this new child in Texas, links won’t be drawn.
However, I don’t know where to start since our case is in another state entirely. What do we do to keep this from happening to another child?
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