Setting: modern-day US
Searched: "child custody at arrest", "foster care system", "minors and the judicial system", and all various combinations
A single mother gets arrested and will not be out of jail for a long time. At the time of her arrest, what happens to her only son (age 17)? There are no living relatives and no other legal guardians.
For plot purposes, I only need to know what happens to the child immediately after his mother is detained (as in the first 24-48 hours). Does he get taken to the detention center with his mom until a social worker comes and takes him to an orphanage in preparation for foster care? Is he placed in a temporary foster care home until a permanent home can be arranged?
![[BSG] B/S Earth](https://l-userpic.livejournal.com/117637321/13598882)
Setting: 1900, London, England
1. Lower/Working class girl, about 16/17, gets pregnant and tries, ultimately unsuccessfully to hide her pregnancy from her mother. She doesn't have any experience with pregnancy before (she's her single mother's only child, etc.), so about how long would it take her to figure out she's pregnant? How long would it take her mother to figure it out? I've heard of modern-day girls successfully hiding their entire pregnancies from their mothers, but my character will have fewer resources at her disposal so I'm wondering if it's not more likely for her to panic and just tell her mum after a certain point.
I Googled "hiding pregnancy," and "hiding pregnancy 1900s" but I got mostly advice for hiding it in the workplace/from friends, which were modern things (e.g., complaining about not having time to go to the gym explains the sudden weight gain).
2. The child is born out of wedlock because the father disappeared. Which last name would the mother likely give the baby? If they were to get married when Boyfriend turns up, how does this affect the child's status? If marriage doesn't "automatically" legitimize the child, is there anything else they can do? Or are they too poor for it to matter much?
Googled various combinations of "legitimacy," "marriage," and "Edwardian." (Found some things on what is automatically legitimate and what isn't but nothing about legitimizing an illegitimate child.)
Thanks if anyone can help. :) Hopefully I don't accidentally kill the story by creating an impossible situation!
Setting: FBI/general military, modern-day USA
Already googled: "terms of reference Marine Corps", "terms of reference military" "military protocol titles ranks"
I've got a character who was a Major in the USMC before she joined the FBI. She comes into contact with a junior officer, still an active Marine, while on an FBI/JAG case. Action is pretty much split between the two agencies.
A) Would he still salute her/generally give her the same respect he'd give a superior officer even though she's not an active Marine? They were in the Corps together, she was his CO and martial arts instructor- would that make a difference?
B) Would it be plausible for him to call her 'Major' rather than 'Agent'? Wikipedia says that veteran Marines have the right to be addressed by their ranks, but how often does this happen in practice?
Thanks in advance!