“Where can I start getting custody back of my daughter?”

I would advise you to contact a lawyer as your first step. In order to regain custody, you will need to demonstrate your ability to provide for your child emotionally, physically, and financially. It will be crucial to provide evidence of your progress in sobriety, such as statements from professionals who can attest to your commitment and continued participation in support groups and therapy. Maintaining consistent documentation, like signed attendance sheets with dates, will be beneficial. If a significant amount of time has passed since you've been able to build a strong attachment with your child, co-therapy may be necessary. Depending on your child's age, behaviors, emotions, and any traumatic experiences they may have had, therapies like PCIT, CALM, TF-CBT, EMDR, ABA therapy, Play Therapy, or Parent Coaching could be recommended. Additionally, you may want to explore resources available through your local Community Services Board. They often offer home visiting programs for parents of young children who have struggled with substance abuse. These programs can assist with job readiness, parenting skills, and child development.

Congrats on your journey. Continue to attend meetings and find support. .Look for other support groups for mothers/parents in similar situations. Think of seeking reunification through your local family court system. You may be able to begin with visitation or supervised visitation that may help your mom feel more comfortable. Some agencies offer an advocate who can accompany you to court so you are not alone. Realize this is part of your journey and it includes your daughter and your mother.. I recommend listening to the podcast- Be Careful Who You have Kids With available as an Amazon music app or do a google search. Many topics related to child custody are discussed.

I would consult with your careteam first to make sure you have a solid soberity and cope ahead plan in place for the various stressors which come with being a parent. Next I would consult a family law lawyer to guide you through building a case to have custody rights revisited, but this requires taking your mom to court. I wish you the best.

I would recommend family therapy sessions that include your mom and then your daughter

It is great that you recognize the challenges and are receiving help. A child living in an environment where substances were being abused can cause life long damage; therefore a parent should be clean for at least one full year before considering the possibly of disrupting the child’s life again. To start to regain custody of your children, speak to the current guardian and ask what they want to see before allowing unsupervised visits. If a child is to return to a parent after a period of removal it should be a slow transition so that the child feels safe and supported by both sides. Transitions that are not thoughtful, slow, and planned out tend to cause additional trauma to the child. If there is a chance of relapse, the child should not return to the parent’s custody until the parent has a longer period of sobriety. Children do best when they know that their parents love them, they do not necessarily need to live with the parent for best outcomes.

I would assume the custody has been issued by a court and judge. I would start by getting legal counsel and petitioning the court. They may or may not ask you to complete a psychological assessment and other parenting courses. But custody issues would go through the court, not a social worker.

Thank you for your question. It’s important to know if you still have parental rights and if those rights are intact or have been terminated. If you do still have rights you can petition the courts for custody. If you have lost parental rights It would probably be beneficial to seek legal counsel.
However, prior to doing any of that I think it would be beneficial to you, your children and your mother to have a conversation. Discuss where you were, are and desire to be. This situation doesn’t have to be nasty. Trust has to be re-established between you, your mother and children; and that takes time. Begin with finding out how to re-establish the trust and then talk about what is needed from all parties. Sometimes it’s not about obtaining custody but developing a healthy relationship in which all parties can benefit through mutual respect, understanding and love. I wish the best outcome for all parties involved.

You have probably been dealing with DCFS. You have had steps to take in order to prove your readiness to have your child returned to your custody. Start with the people who have been in charge of your case. Hopefully you have built a good report with them. The social worker would help you gather all the information to prove your case and be a go-between if necessary.