My sister has two little girls. Every since she has been married, she is constantly fighting with her husband in front of the girls. They were both drug users and dcf was called to their home and this is when they both got clean. She will supposidly be back in three weeks. She treats the girls very bad. She hits and curses at them all the time. Now she has decided to go off to another country to meet a man she met over the internet and leave her husband. She left the girls with the husband (father of the girls) and he is distraught. All he has been doing is going around to strip joints getting drunk. The girls are at my other sisters house and saying they do not want to go back home. One is 9 and the other one is 6. The father comes by every day to see them and goes. The mother calls every day from the foreign country but the girls don't want to talk to her. The mother cashed her income tax check and left with the money, knowing they had to move out of their home to a new one because they were being evicted. My question is what legal recourses can I take in order for my sister and I to be able to care for the girls and can we file abandonment charges to my sister. Also to note she gets food stamps and medicaid when she should not.

You would have to call DCF again and report the situation with both the mother AND the father.

Would the father be willing to allow you to take guardianship of the girls? That would give you legal powers to enroll them in school, obtain medical treatment, things like that.

If you KNOW the mother is collecting benefits illegally, that's another thing to mention. A don't like to see anyone "whistle blow" but, again, if you want to help the girls you have to do everything in your power.

It also might be helpful to have a consultation with an Attorney in your area who specializes in these matters.

Unfortunately removing custody from the mother at the moment won't be terribly difficult - she's out of the Country. The father's argument is that the girls are in a safe place (and they are) and so he isn't neglecting them.

You'd be amazed by how many people walk away from their own children. You and your sister renew my faith in people!