(no subject)

[wordsearchgal.livejournal.com]

I don't even know how to Google this.  OK, say you have a national disaster, where many many people were dead.  You have an orphan (her parents died in this disaster) and she is adopted by a couple who have an eighteen year old son, say those parents died, would the child be allowed to stay with the eighteen year old son?  What if he was known to be...disturbed?  I am assuming if the system is over loaded with children, they may be a bit lax.

Personally, I want her to be taken from him so i can do this whole run away/kidnapping thing later on. 

Comments

[princess2000204.livejournal.com]

I know a little about 'The System'....

I would like to say that the son would be allowed to 'adopt' the daughter since technically he is her brother. He would be of age, would he have a means of supporting her?
Usually they look at the stability of the household and means of support, financially and if their would be any other relatives to take her in. Relatives being related to her adopted parents.

Even if he is 'disturbed' as long as he isn't seen as a danger to the child or to the others around him, they would look the other way. If you really want the daughter to be taken away, just play up on his mental unbalances and the danger he does/could present to her.

[pipe-organ-wolf.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure how to google this either, but I'll gladly share what conclusions my experience of the "system" leads me to draw.


If this disaster has resulted in very large-scale losses of life, certain institutions that aren't as necessary to the survival of humanity as a whole are neglected. This is doubly true in situations where the institution/system is flooded with clients and children. That would argue that she'd be left with him, despite the fact that he's known to be disturbed.

On the other hand, depending on the severity of his faults, he'd be a high-profile case, and they would take steps to remove her from him, like you prefer. It'd also be very easy to make him look like more of a problem than he actually is, if you want him to end up taking care of the girl sucessfully. You could use certain "warning flags" like accused of child molestation, or assault charges, without the male character actually being guilty of the charges. That would depend on what kind of guardian you want for the story.

Personally, I think someone being aware enough to separate them, despite the laxity of regulation, is entirely possible, and wouldn't throw your audience for an unexpected twist. There are many ways to twist the degree of vigilance to present the exact angle you want. Have fun with it!

[wordsearchgal.livejournal.com]

Oh I love Ridley, he's a crazy ball of psychotic fun. He had a post-disaster reputation that caused him to be home schooled. So yeah, at first I was thinking they would just leave her there, but if the initial social worker was concerned with him, and now his parents are dead, I could see them taking her anyway.

[pipe-organ-wolf.livejournal.com]

Then you've actually got a perfect setup for this. If Ridley has a reputation already, all he'd have to do is make one joke or comment during the social worker's visit to raise concerns. It could have just been a sarcastic quip about cannibalism, or something, and that's all it would take. :)

[wordsearchgal.livejournal.com]

lol That's him all over. I spend most of my time thinking about his dialog and how he can say things in creepy inappropriate but cheery ways.

[sings-off-key.livejournal.com]

How old is the girl? Did the parents leave a will designating a guardian? If not, I think the court would want to appoint one, particularly if she is younger than teen-aged herself and with her brother so young. Does the girl herself have a preference? Does she get along with her brother ok? The judge would be likely to listen to the social worker's opinion as well as talk to the kids. Are there any other relatives nearby that could help out? Close family friends, even? They would prefer to make a family solution work before putting her in a foster home but if there was anything that pointed to the girl being unsafe, then they would act on that. (Caveat: I am not a lawyer or a social worker but I am an adoptive parent.)