Set up to fail, an older sister fought 'the system' to rescue baby brother from foster care

In a video shared on Instagram, Chelsea Reeves (@keepingupwithchelsxx) opened up about fighting for custody of her baby brother Hugo. The clip, which has been viewed 2.8 million times and received nearly 100,000 likes, shows how she was pushed to the edge but refused to give up until she brought him home. Chelsea explained that she first tried to take custody when she was just 20. Their biological mother struggled with substance abuse, and with no family network to support them, it was down to her to step in.

Parental substance abuse is one of the strongest predictors of child neglect and foster care placement. A study published in Child Abuse & Neglect found that between 30% and 80% of child welfare cases involve parental substance use, and children in these households are more likely to face chronic neglect, instability, and repeated placement changes. Researchers note that these children are not only at higher risk of removal from the home but also of lingering developmental and emotional consequences due to the instability. That’s exactly what Chelsea was determined to stop for Hugo, but the system rejected her almost immediately. 

"Within 3 weeks, they failed custody, lied, and broke me," she recalled. Three months later, she was finally given contact with Hugo, who was then 5 months old. Determined not to let him grow up in foster care, she tried again. This time, she was met with impossible demands. "Before I got his custody, they made me move into a different house I couldn’t afford… they made me leave my job," she said.

In such distressing conditions, she chose to power on — all for her brother. "So I spent 4 months in a home I was struggling to pay for, I was unpaid for 4 months just so I could get him home," she said. To keep going, she went without meals herself. "I remember eating toast for weeks on end because £5 for a meal was something I had to buy for him to get him home." By the time she won custody, Chelsea had fallen into more than £11,000 of debt, but she had achieved what she set out to do: to provide a safe and loving home for Hugo. "Even though they purposely tried to set me up to fail, I never did," she said, "I don’t have much debt left. I can take him on holiday and eat whatever I want."

Her story has struck a chord with viewers online, many of whom praised her resilience and courage. @reneee.louise wrote, "Such a hard and beautiful story, I worked in social work alongside kids like you and your brother, and he does deserve to be kept out of the system. So did you. But you are amazing for not giving up on him. Sending love." @elisaday89 shared, "You are an absolute Angel. He is going to love you for the rest of his life. Well done, sweetie, for not giving up the fight to make this little boy’s life Magica." @michele.calm.in.the.chaos commented, "You stood by him no matter what and put your whole life on the line, that shows immense bravery and courage! Anything to protect him from the life you had."

You can follow Chelsea Reeves (@keepingupwithchelsxx) on Instagram to follow along with her and her brother's journey.

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