In Re: J.W., A Minor, Appeal of: J.W.

CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedFebruary 27, 2018
Docket1385 WDA 2017
StatusUnpublished

This text of In Re: J.W., A Minor, Appeal of: J.W. (In Re: J.W., A Minor, Appeal of: J.W.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re: J.W., A Minor, Appeal of: J.W., (Pa. Ct. App. 2018).

Opinion

J-S82044-17

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37

IN RE: J.W., A MINOR : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF : PENNSYLVANIA : : : : : : APPEAL OF: J.W., NATURAL FATHER : No. 1385 WDA 2017

Appeal from the Order Entered August 2, 2017 in the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County Orphans’ Court at No(s): CP-02-AP-0000082-2017

BEFORE: BENDER, P.J.E., STEVENS, P.J.E.,* and STRASSBURGER, J.**

MEMORANDUM BY STRASSBURGER, J.: FILED FEBRUARY 27, 2018

J.W. (Father) appeals from the order entered August 2, 2017, in the

Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, which terminated involuntarily

his parental rights to his minor son, J.W. (Child), born in December 2015.1

We affirm.

We summarize the relevant factual and procedural history of this matter

as follows. Allegheny County Children, Youth, and Families (CYF) received a

referral regarding Child on January 9, 2016. N.T., 8/2/2017, at 13. CYF

conducted an investigation, which revealed that Mother was diluting Child’s

formula, that she lacked the transportation necessary to take Child to his ____________________________________________

* Former Justice specially assigned to the Superior Court.

** Retired Senior Judge assigned to the Superior Court.

1 The orphans’ court also terminated the parental rights of Child’s mother, R.M. (Mother). Mother did not file a brief in connection with this appeal, nor did she file her own separate appeal. J-S82044-17

medical appointments, and that she was charged with the crime of

endangering the welfare of children due to Child’s poor physical condition. Id.

at 13-14. Mother had been living with Father and Child’s paternal

grandmother (Paternal Grandmother), but Father forced Mother to leave when

CYF began its investigation. Id. CYF developed a safety plan with Mother.

Id. at 14-15. However, Mother soon violated the plan by leaving the shelter

where she was living, failing to maintain contact with CYF, and failing to attend

a social services appointment. Id. at 16. CYF requested emergency custody

of Child on January 26, 2016, and the juvenile court granted CYF’s request.

Id. The court entered a shelter care order on January 29, 2016, and

adjudicated Child dependent on February 10, 2016, but permitted CYF to

return Child to Mother’s care upon agreement by the parties. Exhibit CYF 2

(dependency orders).

CYF requested emergency custody of Child for a second time on March

1, 2016, after it discovered that Mother was hospitalized, and that Child was

living with Father and Paternal Grandmother. N.T., 8/2/2017, at 18-19. CYF

requested emergency custody based on concerns that both Father and

Paternal Grandmother were uncooperative and had significant criminal

histories. Id. at 19. The juvenile court denied CYF’s request. Id. CYF

requested emergency custody once again on March 3, 2016, after Mother

alleged that Father appeared at the hospital intoxicated during the night,

argued with her, and attempted to pull out her IV. Id. at 19-20. The court

-2- J-S82044-17

granted CYF’s request, but placed Child back in Mother’s care pursuant to

shelter care order entered March 4, 2016.2 Exhibit CYF 2.

Finally, CYF requested emergency custody of Child on March 23, 2016,

after another alleged incident of domestic violence involving Father and

Mother. N.T., 8/2/2017, at 21. The juvenile court granted CYF’s request, and

placed Child in foster care. Id. The court entered a shelter care order on

March 24, 2016, and Child has remained in foster care since that time. Id.;

Exhibit CYF 2.

Following the shelter care hearing, Father failed to maintain consistent

contact with Child. Father visited with Child twice before he was incarcerated

in June 2016.3 N.T., 8/2/2017, at 37. Father then made no effort to contact

Child until he requested visits during an aggravated circumstances hearing on

March 17, 2017. Id. at 37-38. The juvenile court entered an order finding

aggravated circumstances that same day, based on Father’s failure to have

contact with Child for six months. Exhibit CYF 2. The court also relieved CYF

of its obligation to provide reunification efforts. Id.

____________________________________________

2 The juvenile court’s shelter care order appears to contain a typographical error, as it indicates that physical custody would return to Father, but that Father would be permitted only supervised visits with Child. See Exhibit CYF 2. The testimony presented during the termination hearing confirms that the court returned Child to Mother. N.T., 8/2/2017, at 20-21. 3 Father testified that he was convicted of driving under the influence, and that he anticipated being released from incarceration in October 2017. N.T., 8/2/2017, at 5.

-3- J-S82044-17

On May 25, 2017, CYF filed a petition to terminate Father’s parental

rights to Child involuntarily. The orphans’ court conducted a termination

hearing on June 9, 2017, and August 2, 2017. Following the hearing, the

court entered an order terminating Father’s parental rights. Father timely

filed a notice of appeal on August 31, 2017, along with a concise statement of

errors complained of on appeal.

Father now raises the following issues for our review.

1. Did the [orphans’] court abuse its discretion and/or err as a matter of law in appointing KidsVoice as counsel for the [c]hild when an apparent conflict between the legal interests of the [c]hild and the interest of KidsVoice in representing the best interests of the child in the underlying dependency proceedings was raised by [Father]?

2. Did the [orphans’] court abuse its discretion and/or err as a matter of law in concluding that termination of [Father’s] parental rights would serve the needs and welfare of the child pursuant to 23 Pa.C.S. §[]2511(b)?

Father’s Brief at 6 (orphans’ court answers omitted).

We consider Father’s issues mindful of our standard of review.

The standard of review in termination of parental rights cases requires appellate courts to accept the findings of fact and credibility determinations of the trial court if they are supported by the record. If the factual findings are supported, appellate courts review to determine if the trial court made an error of law or abused its discretion. A decision may be reversed for an abuse of discretion only upon demonstration of manifest unreasonableness, partiality, prejudice, bias, or ill-will. The trial court’s decision, however, should not be reversed merely because the record would support a different result. We have previously emphasized our deference to trial courts that often have first-hand observations of the parties spanning multiple hearings.

-4- J-S82044-17

In re T.S.M., 71 A.3d 251, 267 (Pa. 2013) (citations and quotation marks

omitted).

In his first issue, Father argues that the orphans’ court abused its

discretion and/or committed an error of law by appointing Child’s dependency

guardian ad litem (GAL), KidsVoice, as his counsel during the termination

proceedings.4 Father’s Brief at 17-29.

Subsection 2313(a) of the Adoption Act governs our analysis of this

issue.

(a) Child.--The court shall appoint counsel to represent the child in an involuntary termination proceeding when the proceeding is being contested by one or both of the parents.

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In Re: J.W., A Minor, Appeal of: J.W., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-jw-a-minor-appeal-of-jw-pasuperct-2018.