A mother leaves infant with friend, grandfather has been the primary care giver for over a month now. The mother was not providing adequate care to the infant, she was feeding the infant watered down formula and living in an automobile. The infant was neglected and malnurished. In the grandfathers care the child has gained weight and is now functioning as a 4 month old. The mother after 2 weeks called looking for her baby. After a month she actually called concerned of the welfare or her child. The grandfather would now like to get custody of the baby but, is on a limited budget. Where can he get help?

First, he NEEDS to get guardianship of the child. Right now he cannot legally make any decision about the child's care. I would start with the local Family Services agency.

There is a safety plan in place with the local child and family services. Because family services could not locate the mother the case has been closed.

He should retain a good attorney to help him get custody of the infant.