In Re The Dep Of D.C-C.

CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedNovember 17, 2021
Docket81521-1
StatusUnpublished

This text of In Re The Dep Of D.C-C. (In Re The Dep Of D.C-C.) 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
In Re The Dep Of D.C-C., (Wash. Ct. App. 2021).

Opinion

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON DIVISION ONE In the Matter of the Parental Rights to No. 81521-1-I

D.C.-C., ORDER CHANGING CASE TITLE, WITHDRAWING Minor Child. OPINION, SUBSTITUTING OPINION, AND RECALLING MANDATE

The Supreme Court of Washington granted discretionary review of the

opinion filed on June 14, 2021 and on October 6, 2021, remanded the case with

instructions to change the case title consistent with In re the Welfare of K.D., 198

Wn.2d 67, 491 P.3d 154 (2021). This court has considered the order and on its

own motion, that a majority of the panel has determined that the mandate should be

recalled, the names of the parents should be removed from the opinion, the opinion

should be withdrawn, and a substitute opinion filed; now, therefore, it is hereby

ORDERED that the clerk shall reinstate this appeal; and it is further

ORDERED that the opinion filed on June 14, 2021 is withdrawn; and it is

further

ORDERED that the case title shall be changed consistent with K.D.; and it is

further IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

In the Matter of the Parental Rights to No. 81521-1-I

D.C.-C., DIVISION ONE Minor Child. UNPUBLISHED OPINION

COBURN, J. — J.C. appeals the termination of her parental rights to her

son, D.C.-C. She argues that the Department of Children, Youth and Families

(Department)1 did not carry its burden to prove it provided her with necessary

services or its additional burden under the federal and state Indian Child Welfare

Acts, ICWA2 and WICWA.3 The Mother also contends the Department failed to

prove that termination was in D.C.-C.’s best interests and the trial court violated

separation of powers when it entered an order in the related dependency

proceeding directing the Department to file a termination petition. We hold that

1 On July 1, 2018, the newly created Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) took over child welfare duties that were formerly the responsibility of the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS). RCW 43.216.906. Accordingly, in this opinion, “Department” means DSHS before July 1, 2018, and DCYF on and after July 1, 2018. 2 Indian Child Welfare Act, 25 U.S.C. § 1901 et seq. 3 Washington State Indian Child Welfare Act, chapter 13.38 RCW.

Citations and pin cites are based on the Westlaw online version of the cited material. No. 81521-1-I/2

the unchallenged findings and substantial evidence support termination and the

order entered in the dependency proceeding is not properly before us for review.

Accordingly, we affirm.

FACTS

D.C.-C., an Indian child, 4 was born in March 2015 and was nearly five

years old at the time of trial. D.C.-C.’s alleged Father is, a member of the

Nooksack Indian Tribe who also has lineage through the Upper Skagit Tribe.

The Mother has no known tribal affiliation.

The Mother has a lengthy history of substance abuse and repeated

criminal involvement and instability. She began using drugs and alcohol at the

age of 12 and considers herself an addict. Her “drug of choice” is opiates,

including heroin, and she began using opiates regularly in her early 20s. 5 The

Mother has two daughters who are older than D.C.-C. and who reside with her

Mother. According to the Mother, there was at one time an open dependency or

custody case involving her daughters, but that case was closed when her Mother

took custody.

On September 29, 2015, when D.C.-C. was six months old, the

Department filed a dependency petition, and D.C.-C. was placed in out-of-home

care the same day. According to the petition, the dependency arose out of a July

2015 referral reporting that the Mother was using drugs and selling them out of

4D.C.-C. qualifies as an “Indian child” under ICWA, 25 U.S.C. § 1903(4), because he is an enrolled member of the Upper Skagit Tribe and is a member of the Nooksack Indian Tribe. 5 The Mother was 30 years old at the time of trial.

2 No. 81521-1-I/3

her apartment. In December 2015, a juvenile court adjudged D.C.-C. dependent

as to the Mother, the Father, and any and all putative fathers. The juvenile court

found that the mother’s parental deficiencies included “substance abuse, mental

health, and a lack of age appropriate parenting skills.” In its dispositional order,

the juvenile court directed the Mother to comply with the following “service

requirements”:

1. Participate in substance abuse treatment with a Department- approved provider and follow any recommendations. If a relapse or break from treatment occurs, complete an updated substance abuse evaluation if determined necessary by the substance abuse treatment provider.

2. Complete random urinalysis [(UA)] testing as arranged by the social worker. Urinalysis testing shall be free of all non- prescribed drugs, alcohol or illegal substances. Any missed or diluted UAs shall be considered positive by the Department.

3. Participate in mental health assessment with a Department- approved provider and follow any recommendations for further services. Contact the Department to request contact information to self-refer this service by contacting the intake hotline.

4. Participate in an NCAST[6] assessment and follow any recommendations for further services.

According to the dispositional order, both the Nooksack Tribe and the

Upper Skagit Tribe were contacted regarding the dependency and “reported that

the child is not eligible for enrollment and they do not consider him to be an

Indian Child for their purposes and have declined to be further involved in the

Dependency.” Nevertheless, beginning in November 2015, the Department

consulted with the Local Indian Child Welfare Advisory Committee (LICWAC)

6 Nursing Child Assessment Satellite Training.

3 No. 81521-1-I/4

regarding the case. 7

The juvenile court reviewed D.C.-C.’s dependent status nine times over

the course of what was ultimately a five-year-long dependency. After its first

dependency review hearing in February 2016, the juvenile court found that the

Mother was out of compliance with her service requirements and was

incarcerated at the Whatcom County Jail. The Mother later testified that she was

incarcerated for about 13 months but later released on a DOSA 8 sentence. The

Mother achieved a period of sobriety while incarcerated, and in June 2017, after

the Mother’s release, D.C.-C. was returned to the Mother for a trial in-home

placement. The termination trial, which was initially set to begin June 2, 2017,

was continued to allow this to occur.

Meanwhile, in a February 2017 dependency review order, the juvenile

court entered a finding that “[a] termination petition should be filed” and ordered

the Department to file such a petition no later than March 6, 2017. The

Department filed a termination petition on February 27, 2017, and the trial court

appointed a guardian ad litem (GAL) for D.C.-C.

In November 2017, D.C.-C.’s trial in-home placement ended when the

Mother dropped D.C.-C. off with her parents. According to the Mother, she left

D.C.-C.

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Bluebook (online)
In Re The Dep Of D.C-C., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-the-dep-of-dc-c-washctapp-2021.