Concerns About Child Abuse in a Relative's Home
My question involves child abuse or neglect in the State of: Colorado
I have a few questions about where I should precede from here in regards to my nephew and soon to be born niece. There has been domestic violence already going on in the home, and the mother has been arrested twice in the last 6 months for a DV. BOTH DVs happened in front of her young child, and the 2nd one she got him in the car while drunk (resulting in a DWAI with a child in the car). I have informed Child Protective Services, but they dropped the charges recently. I would like to know what other lines of help can I go through to help get the child out of harms way in regards to the mother.
This also isn't the only thing that goes on in the home that isn't suitable for my nephew as it is, and there is often cases of neglect as the mother sleeps until 2 pm or later into the day. Giving most of the day time parenting time to the grandmother (my mother) as the father works a full time job. When she is watching the child she is emotionally abusive to him (yelling at him constantly, and telling him to shut up when she is even slightly annoyed). Most of the time though when he is with his mother he is completely ignored (to the point where he eats dog food out of the dog food bowl). This has gone on for months, and I have recently found out she is pregnant again. This is the part that worries me the most.... Seeing as she is already overwhelmed by the one year old that she has, I believe that a 2nd one will only make her even more overwhelmed, and only exasperate the problems that are going on. I do the most with that I can, but since I have no legal rights over the child I can't actually take him, or do anything about it.
The grandmother (my mother) would be willing to take the child, but also doesn't want to do anything against the father's wishes. Which he believes that he loves this woman and that they can make it work. EVEN THOUGH they aren't making it work with the one as it is.... I am now becoming increasingly concerned for the safety of the children that live in the home, but feel like I am getting no where with Child Protective Services. They are limited of what they can do, but I know that this situation is only getting worse despite all the classes the mother has to take because of her two DVs.
I would also like to mention that the mother is bi-polar, and a pathological liar. One minute she will tell you one thing (like she never spanks her kids), and then in the next moment she will be telling you that she is constantly having to spank him for this or that. When Social Services was involved I know it was the lies the mother made that made them drop the charges, and the fact that my brother (the father) just agrees with anything she tells him to say out of fear that she will leave him. The grandmother (my mother) won't do anything because she is afraid that it will create a wedge between the family, and does not believe my brother will forgive her if she outright fights for custody. So I feel like now I am stuck against a rock and a hard place. I do believe that the child's best interests should be at the forefront of this whole conversation instead of saving a relationship with anyone that is an adult, as the child has no choices in the matter, and the one that will be most effected by the situation.
What are my options to help get the child that is already born, and the unborn child, out of this emotionally abusive, and neglectful situation? The one that is already here has already started to show signs of being effected as he constantly hits (and he is barely one) often aiming for the face because that is what he sees his mother do. He is also starting to show signs of not developing emotionally very well, and often throws fits over small things. I believe this is because his emotional needs are not being met on a daily basis, and so I believe he has learned that it is a way to get attention (even though it is negative attention, its the only kind of attention he gets from his mother). I am also getting more and more nervous that when the new one is born that this emotional abuse and neglect will only get worse as there will now be two children to split the little emotional support that they already have. Is my only option fighting for custody myself? Or can I start the process of getting the children just removed from the home, and then press them to give them to the grandmother (my mother)?