Legal Question in Family Law in New Jersey

division youth family services matter in hackensack

My niece (9yrs, girl deaf with hearing aids) in division youth family services (dyfs) custody in Bergen county NJ. Mother went of support hearing and was upset and angry with the process and left the court room. The judge then put my niece in dyfs custody. I had temporary custody for over 6 months and my wife was high risk pregnancy. So my mom and my niece went outside and went to the mothers apt. Dyfs was making unannouced visit and my niece was at my apt and dyfs found her at moms apt without my presence. Dyfs charged me with neglect and investigation was completed. Then in Jan 2006 charges dropped. My niece went to another foster family for approx. 2 years. The father is remarried and has 2 other children and is living in another state. Father has not met the child. Father is doing this to avoid paying child support. The mother is living in southern NJ. Mother visits once a week for a hour. I would like to have custody of my niece and adopt her also. I currently live on the border of NJ. Thanks,


Asked on 6/20/06, 3:06 pm

2 Answers from Attorneys
Robert Davies The Davies Law Firm, P.A.

Re: division youth family services matter in hackensack

You need a lawyer to help you. You will need to show the Judge that your neice will be better off with you than where she is, basically.

I would be happy to talk to you. Call me. I am in northern New Jersey. The consultation will be free. I will do what I can to help you out.

My contact information can be obtained from the links below, just click on the Attorney Profile link. Let my secretary know you found me through LawGuru.

Disclaimer: you can not rely on the advice of an attorney given over the internet. The exact facts of your situation, including facts which you have not mentioned in your question, may completely change the result for your situation.

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Answered on 6/20/06, 3:47 pm
Jef Henninger, Esq Law Offices of Jef Henninger, Esq.

Re: division youth family services matter in hackensack

You have a lot of work ahead of you. You need to focus on getting custody first and then start on the adoption. Having an attorney will obviously help out a lot since there is just so much to do. My consultations are always free, so please call me at 732/247/3340 and we can discuss your options. Situations like this are time consuming, so they could get expensive. I'll work with you the best I can to keep your costs down.

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Answered on 6/20/06, 5:18 pm


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