If you are related to a child who is removed from their home
If you are related to a child who is removed from their home, you may have certain rights. Generally, relatives and close family friends get preference when the social worker decides where the child should live. This is the case as long as they are willing to care for the child, and as long as the social worker and the court find they are an appropriate placement.
Who is a relative
In dependency cases, a relative is often a sibling (brother/sister), stepparent, step-sibling, great or grand-relative (like a grandparent or great-grandparent), aunt or uncle.
Close family friends and “non-relative extended family members” may also be entitled to have the child placed in their care. A non-related extended family member is an adult caregiver who has a family-like relationship with a relative of the child or a family-like or mentoring relationship with the child themselves.