| They will probably assign someone to to a home study. Most likey from social services. Sometimes they use private social workers but it is unlikely since there is leagal aid involved. It differs from state to state. If there are serious child abuse issues involved there may also be mental health consultations for the kids. The social workers will come to both residences to see the living situations and ask questions about the kids and general parenting issues. If your grandkids have problems related to what happened when they were living with their mother and the boyfriend this is the time to bring it up to the social worker. Try very hard to explain the problems in a mature way. If the kids are old enough they may also talk to the kids, in private about the situation. DON'T COACH THEM. I'm going to warn you that most of the time the laws are skewed to return kids to the parent. Parents have VERY strong rights and the children have almost none! Even in very bad situations a parent gets to keep getting the kids back. I used to do follow up for the courts in similar situations. i couldn't stand to watch how parents treated their kids and how the courts were limited to intervene. And social workers have so many cases that they can not really pay attention to what's happening. In most states the court can appoint a guardian ad litem who will watch over the situation. It can help.Ask your lawyer about that. If you have more questions you can e-mail me. | 
