save my grandchildren

We have been caring for our two grandchilren for 13 months, since the father left the youngest alone in the bath tub(at 11 months old) and she nearly drowned. Even though the parents were not together at the time, the children were removed from the care of both parents. The foster care worker has decided to start the reunification process even though the oldest childs preschool teacher, daycare provider, counselor, and myself have voiced concerns to her about things that he says happens at dads house. He has told us that daddy hits him in the stomach, and that daddy does not play with him because daddy sleeps all the time. There is a CPS report on dad from a month prior to the near drowning incident, where the oldest child(two and one half years at the time)was found wandreing the parking lot of dads appartment complex in his pajamas at 10:30am(it was 18 degrees out). The person that found him went door to door to find where he belonged and dad admitted that he was sleeping. CPS did not feel this was a problem. Reunification was to start April 1st, when we got back from our vaccation with the children but neither parent even mentioned increasing their visiting time and I did not feel it was my responsibility to tell them they need to do it. The foster care worker yelled at me two weeks after the increase was supposed to start. I told her I am not here to baby sit the parents and that I felt if they really wanted the children they would have done it on their own. Dad has told us that he is happy with weekends because he does not want the resposibility of taking them to school and daycare during the week, and mom has admitted that she is not ready for full time parenting. If reunification happens, I know it will only be a matter of time before something else happens. CPS and the foster care worker just want to close the case, I do not feel that they have the best intrest of the children in mind. Do we have any legal right to go for custody or is there any way we can fight the decisions of the foster care worker? Please help before it's to late!

[tbyte]

Your chances at custody are slim, and if you fight for it you may end up alienating one or both of the parents, at which time they will take the children away from you.
I don't see how CPS can make the parents take the children if they are uninterested in their child. They are bureaucrats, so yes they probably are only interested in lightening their load. But that means you know what motivates them. Work on some ways to make their job easier and/or satisfy their State requirements, and they will back off.
I assume you are the maternal grandparents, since you spent most of your post slamming the father.

You are right, I am the maternal grandmother, but trust me, I have nothing good to say about my daughters parenting skills either, at least not now. When this all started, things were different. Now it's like she has had a taste of freedom without the responsibility of the children and she is not ready to give that up. I guess the only reason that isn't bothering me so much right now is that she is between living arrangements, when she does not have visits she stays with her brother(or where ever), but during her visits she stay at our house with the children. My husband and I have tried our best to work with her but she has no patients with them. It is constant yelling and screaming, and putting them in time out or spanking them. Then she cries and can't figure out why they do not want to be with her, or why when they are sick or scared they come to me instead of her. Just yesterday, when I got home from work, the oldest was on the couch crying (he was sick) and the other one was sitting on the kithcen floor eating my makeup. Mom was on the computer talking with her friends about what they are going to do this weekend.
As for taking the burden off CPS, it is "my job" to report to the foster care worker any concerns with the visits. I have documented and reported everything, like, both parents missing visits without notification (until I call), or like when dad had to call security in the store because he let them run free and could not find them. The problem is that none of the information is ever taken to court by CPS, the childrens lawyer brings everything up but CPS says we talked to mom or dad and they say they won't do it agiain.
I am sorry if I'm wrong, but when children at the age of 2 and 3 years old are afraid to go with their parents, some hting is wrong!!!

I take it nobody has any advice for me on this. If you do, please advise.

[annjd]

I think the previous poster had good advice. It may be best to try to work with the parents...or just keep documenting the problems.