Kim,

I was a child protection social worker for a number of years. I could not agree more with the other posters who said you need to report your concerns. Everyone who knows about the issues needs to make a report. The more information the social worker has, the better she can protect your granddaughter. It sounds like your daughter needs help too and they could help her get it together so she can parent safely.

I'm not sure if they have a program like this where you live, but where I used to work we often used "kinship foster homes." They were relatives of the kids in care, didnt' matter what the relationship was--grandparent, aunt, cousin, ect. Often the foster parent was preapproved well in advance of the child coming into care. It was a bit of a precaution. We knew there were issues in the family. If a child had to be removed in a hurry, a pre-approved home made things much easier-on both the child, the parent and the social worker. Might be something to ask your local department about.

Good luck. I hope both your daughter and grandbaby get the help they need before any major damage is done.