I'm in a situation in my story right now where a grandfather is arrested for an involuntary psyche assessment. He has an underage dependent. What would happen to that kid? Where would the government agencies put him.
it depends on the country and state. For most states in the US, for a psyche evaluation and diagnosis, the grandfather would be hospitalized under psychiatric observation for 72 hours. after that, a decision is made whether or not to release them (if they are responding well to treatment and exhibit no harmful tendencies) or keep them for longer. If the grandfather had committed a crime, after 72 hours he would be returned to the police if it is determined that he is mentally competent. The child, if there are no other relatives, would be sent to child services who would most likely place the child in a group home or a foster family.
Is there any chance the child might end up with one of his close friend's family? If they tried to adopt him?
I believe so. I know that i have god parents/siblings. Basically, how my mom explained it is that if anything happens to them, and my relatives cannot take me in or have died, my "god parents" (who are my parents friends) are listed as people who could take me in
You say your character is arrested, which suggests a criminal act. In most countries, I expect there are different laws governing mental health detention as against a criminal investigation. If your grandfather is the legal guardian, the state will have some responsibility to safeguard the child, including an emergency placement with a friend's family until a longer term solution is found, if that is feasible. Adoption would not be the first option but a fostering arrangement could be set in place.
