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My Nephew In Foster Care
My nephew (age 8 months) was placed in foster care on July 15. He's my brother's child, but my brother wasn't married to the mother. I would like to obtain custody but cannot do anything until a paternity test shows that he is in my brothers biological child.
The judge ordered a paternity test but a social worker told me that the order hadn't been entered yet. I am getting the money together for the test but no one can give me information about how to get a test or how much it costs. Also, my brother is in jail serving thirty days. I dont even know if I can have the test done while he is in there.
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Paternity Testing
Dear Samantha,
You can obtain a "home kit" for taking DNA samples, and if your brother is eligible for contact visits may be able to arrange with the jail to take the sample. This is now typically done by cheek swab. You should check with the jail before ordering the test, as if they won't let you take a sample then buying the test kit while your brother is incarcerated would be a waste of your money.
However, given that you would also need a sample from the baby, you may be better served by waiting for the court-ordered test to be performed.