My sisters in-law has 3 daughters who are 3, 2, and 1 years old. Their father is not in the picture and cannot has custody due to his backround. She does not take care of her kids, and by this I mean she gets drunk all the time, hits them for no reason, takes all sorts of pills and says she's going to kill herself and them. She had them living in a apartment so nasty that their were maggots in the sink, mold everywhere, and even feces all over the bathroom, got kicked out and moved back with family so she could take off for hours, even days on end and not even call. We all got fed up and she was asked to leave but the kids could stay with family, well she'd rather rip them from the family they've seen everyday all of their lives, and put them in foster care as of last night and go drinking and partying. So please! Someone tell me how my husband and I can even start fighting for them.

We need to know where you live in order to respond appropriately. I will just add that you could probably have your sister reported for neglect and bring action against her in that regard and make your wishes known at the time of placement. As long as you are a likely candidate for caring for them, It is my understanding, again it would depend on a few things, but it is my understanding that they would rather place children with family than strangers. Fight for those kids. Get your sister help, she clearly has either a substance issue or mental illness. Best wishes

Like msmewiththat stated, your location with help get you the most appropriate responses. You might be able to file for a guardianship. If you haven't already, start documenting things. When she leaves for hours on end or days on end, write it all in the calender. If she hits the kids, she's probably leaving marks. Take a picture of the marks. You just saying she does these things usually isn't enough, the court will want to see proof.