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A mother had custody of her children, and the father was largely absent from their lives. The father recently made allegations of neglect to protective services in Texas, and the children were removed from the mother's care and placed in his custody. She now has supervised visitation. What should she do?
She should work with a lawyer.
If she has already been to court, such that a court has found the allegations in the state's petition to be substantiated, and the court ordered supervised visitation, she is going to have to do what the court deems necessary to correct the problems that resulted in removal and to end court supervision of her parenting. She may then have to go through a custody fight with the father, unless he's willing to voluntarily return custody to her, and she will likely be in a weak position to prevail.
If she has not yet been to court, and at present there is an emergency order pending a hearing on her case, all the more reason to start working with a lawyer ASAP.
If she does not yet have a lawyer, or cannot afford a lawyer, she should inquire with the court in which the child protection action is pending to find out how to petition for a court-appointed lawyer.