Custody & Kidnapping

I cannot speak to your specific situation or how the courts in STATE handle termination of parental rights cases. Generally, in court proceedings involving children, a judge may only have power over the specific children named in the petition. However, sometimes, a petition can be amended to add additional facts or additional children. In some instances, if a person loses rights over some children, the state’s Child Protective Services may then investigate the treatment of the other children in the home to see if the same issues are concerned with those children. The CPS agency may monitor the parents, may bring a petition for abuse or neglect regarding the other children, may remove those children, or do something else – it may depend on the specific situation and the circumstances. It may also depend on that state’s policies regarding siblings of abused/neglected children. To find out what is likely in your case, you would need to talk to a lawyer who specializes in custody issues regarding abuse/neglect. Here is a link for lawyers in your state:LINK You may want to ask a lawyer, specifically, if it is possible under your state’s laws and procedures that the court may also address the welfare/custody of your other children even if they are not named in the current case against you.