Aunt with two nieces

I currently have two children (3 & 5) living with me. They are not my blood nieces (though they call me Aunt); they are my half-sister's half-sister's children, so I am technically a friend of her family. They have been living with me for just around 2 months. Their mother and her boyfriend see them when they want, sometimes once a week (at the most), sometimes they don't see her for weeks on end (which is by her request). There are quite a few signs of sexual abuse from the children, but no hardcore proof, so CPS has been called, but there is no telling what they'll find (if anything), and when they'll even check. I suspect that she is doing drugs, but it is simply because of the industry that she works in (Exotic Dancing), and the way she acts when I bring the girls over sometimes; still, no proof. She was supposed to be giving me Power of Attorney yesterday so that I could put the oldest in school, but, since she found out about CPS, I cannot contact her.

Is there anything that I can do to get these girls out of this situation?

I commend you for your diligence regarding these children, but you need to call Child Protective Services and file an emergency complaint, telling them that the children are, in essence, abandoned and at risk. It is imperative that you do this because you have put yourself at an incredible risk----these sexual abuse allegations could come to rest securely on YOUR shoulders, as well as allegations you are keeping the children, yada yada, although obviously none of this is true.

In most states, CPS MUST investigate within 48 hours. At that time, they can grant you temporary custody of the children--power of attorney really doesn't relate to custody, nor does it give you the right to act as the children's parent. While you intentions are good, you really are at risk. Act immediately---call an attorney--and ask for a free or low cost consultation--this really is critical. You don't need to be implicated in all of this. If you want to help---do so by protecting everyone, except the parents who abandoned these kids in the first place.

Good luck.