Dependency Of S.r.p.w. Dob: 3/14/12, Sharrah Wood v. Dshs

CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedJanuary 14, 2019
Docket78195-2
StatusUnpublished

This text of Dependency Of S.r.p.w. Dob: 3/14/12, Sharrah Wood v. Dshs (Dependency Of S.r.p.w. Dob: 3/14/12, Sharrah Wood v. Dshs) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dependency Of S.r.p.w. Dob: 3/14/12, Sharrah Wood v. Dshs, (Wash. Ct. App. 2019).

Opinion

2819 JAN llr AH 8= 33

iN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASH|NGTON

in the lVlatter of the Dependency of No. 78195-2-|

S.R.P.VV. (dob: 03/14/2012); K.R.T.W. (Consolidated With No. 78196-1-| and (dob: 02/17/2011); and K.R.-K.W. (dob: No. 78197-9-¥)

02/28/2013),

Minor Children.

DfoS!ON ONE

STATE OF WASH|NGTON, DEPARTMENT OF SOC!AL AND HEALTH SERVlCES,

Respondent, UNPUBL|SHE€) OPtN|ON v. SHARRAH WOOD, FlLEDl January 14, 2019

Appellant.

LEACH, J. -~ Sharrah Wood appeals the termination other parental rights to three children. She claims that substantial evidence does not support the trial ccurt’s tinding that ali necessary services capable of remedying her parentat deficiencies Were offered or provided, that a neuropsychoiogical evaluation was not a necessary service, and that

termination of her oarental rights was in the best interests of the children. We disagree

and affirm

No. 78195-2_~|/2

f-'ACTS

Sharrah Wood is the mother ot three children ranging from seven to five years of age: K.R.T.W., S.R.P.W.1 and K.R.~K.W.1 The parental rights of the children’s fathers are not at issue in this appeal.2

in April 2015, Wood and her three children iost their housing due to flooding The family then reportedly began living in a van with Wood’s mother, Wood’s sister, and her sister’s two young children. When not living in the van, the family stayed on the floor of friends' houses Once notified, the Department of Socia| and Heaith Servioes3 (Departrnent) offered Wood voluntary services that included Famiiy Assessment Response (FAR) and Proiect SafeCare. Wood initially participated in these services, but she was unable to complete thern.

in December 2015, the Department received allegations that Wood’s children were continuing to be negiected and suffering from housing instability. On December 22, 2015, the Departrnent filed a dependency petition for each chiid based on Wood’s ai|eged laci< of supervision, chronic neglect mentai heatth issues, tacit of parenting skiiis, and iaci< of safe and stabie housing At the sheiter care hearing on December 30,

2015, the trial court removed the children from Wood’s care. They never returned to her

Cai'€.

1 Wood is also the mother to another child, K.W. i-ler parentai rights as to K.W. were previously terminated and are not at issue in this appeal.

2 The_ parentai rights of the fathers of S.R.P.W. and K.R.-K.VV. were previously terminatedl At the time of trial, the parental rights of the father of K.R.T.W. were sti|i intact.

3 As of July 1, 2018, the “Department of Chi|dren, Youth, and Famiiies" has

assumed the functions and duties of the Department of Sociai and Heaith Services. §§ RCW 43.216.906.

No. 78195~2»|/3

|n April 2016, the Departrnent filed agreed dependency and disposition orders for each chiid. The Department identified Wood’s primary parenting deficiencies as mentai health issues, tack of parenting skills and lack of stable and suitable housing Throughout'the course of the dependency, the Department offered Wood multipie services designed to help remedy her parental deficiencies These services included a psychologicai evaluation with a parenting component, a mentai health assessment and individual counseling parenting ctasses, family preservation services case management, random urinalyses (UAs), a drug and aicohol evaluation, and Project Aware (domestic violence support group). Among other things the trial couri’s dependency orders required Wood to notify the Departrnent about any probierns in accessing services

At iater dependency review and permanency pianning hearingsl the triai court determined that Wood was either partially in compiiance or not in compliance with its orders and'that Wood was not making progress toward correcting her parentai deficiencies ln |Viarch 2037. the Departrnent filed a petition to terminate Wood’s parental rights to each chiid. The Department made the same allegations for each child and asserted that Wood “does not understand and is incapabie of providing for the child’s emotionai, physicai, mental, and developmentai needs [Wood] is incapabie of safety parenting the child."

The termination triat took piece over several days in January 2018. Atter hearing testimony from Wood, a Department social worker, a family preservation services

provider, two visitation supervisors K.R.-K.W.’s counselor, a chemicai dependency

No. 78195-2-:/4

provider, a psychologists and considering more than 60 exhibits the trial court ordered termination of Wood’s parental rights as to ail three children. |n its termination order, the trial court made more than 200 findings of fact1 the majority of which Wood does not - dispute in this appeal. We discuss additional facts in the relevant sections below. STANDARD OF REV|EW

The Unlted States Constitution protects parental rights as a fundamental iiberty interest.“ To terminate a parent's rightsl the Department must satisfy a two-pronged test.5 The first prong requires proof of the six factors described in RCW 13.34.18€)(1).6 The Departrnent must prove these factors by clear, cogent, and convincing evidence7 Clear, cogentl and convincing evidence exists when the evidence shows that an ultimate fact in issue is highly proi)at)le.8 lf the Department satisfies the first prong the

court proceeds to the second prong, determining whether termination is in the child’s

4 Santosky v. Kramer, 455 U.S. 745, 753, 102 S. Ct. 1388, 71 L. Ed. 2d 599 (1982).

5 in re Dependengy__gf K.N.J., 171 Wn.2d 568, 576, 257 P.Bd 522 (2011).

6 RCW 13.34.180(1) requires the Department to prove (a) the-child has been found to be a dependent chiid; (b) the court has entered a dispositional order pursuant to RCW 13.34.130; (c) the child has been removed or wiil, at the time of the hearing, have been removed from the custody of the parent for a period of at least six months pursuant to a finding of dependency; (d) the services rendered under RCW ‘i3.34.136 have been expressiy and understandably offered or provided and all necessary services, reasonably available, capable of correcting the parental deficiencies within the foreseeable future have been expressly and understandably offered or provided; (e) there is little likelihood that conditions wi|i be remedied so that the child can ice returned to the parent in the near future; and (f) continuation of the parent and child relationship clearly diminishes the child's prospects for early integration into a stable and permanent horne.

7 K.N.J., i71 Wn.2d at 576-77.

8 In re Dependencv of K.R.. 128 Wn.2d t29, 141, 904 P.2d 1132 (1995).

_4_

No. 78195»2-|/5

best interests.9 The Department must prove this second prong by a preponderance of the evidence10

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Santosky v. Kramer
455 U.S. 745 (Supreme Court, 1982)
State v. Lynn
835 P.2d 251 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 1992)
In Re the Welfare of Aschauer
611 P.2d 1245 (Washington Supreme Court, 1980)
State v. Dominguez
914 P.2d 141 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 1996)
In Re AW
765 P.2d 307 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 1988)
New Hope of Washington v. Ramquist
765 P.2d 30 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 1988)
In Re Todd
414 P.2d 605 (Washington Supreme Court, 1966)
Pawling v. Goodwin
679 P.2d 916 (Washington Supreme Court, 1984)
VanDam v. Department of Social & Health Services
815 P.2d 277 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 1991)
D.P. v. Department of Social & Health Services
882 P.2d 1180 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 1994)
In Re Welfare of AB
232 P.3d 1104 (Washington Supreme Court, 2010)
In Re Welfare of Cs
225 P.3d 953 (Washington Supreme Court, 2010)
In Re Dependency of DA
102 P.3d 847 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2004)
In Re Welfare of CB
143 P.3d 846 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2006)
In Re Dependency of TR
29 P.3d 1275 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2001)
In Re Marriage of Meredith
201 P.3d 1056 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2009)
In Re Dependency of ELF
70 P.3d 163 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2003)
In re the Termination of: IM.- M. & Z.M. - M.
196 Wash. App. 914 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2016)
In re the Welfare of C.S.
168 Wash. 2d 51 (Washington Supreme Court, 2010)
Salas v. Department of Social & Health Services
168 Wash. 2d 908 (Washington Supreme Court, 2010)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Dependency Of S.r.p.w. Dob: 3/14/12, Sharrah Wood v. Dshs, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dependency-of-srpw-dob-31412-sharrah-wood-v-dshs-washctapp-2019.