In Re The Dependency Of: F.y.o., Michael Foster Jr. v. Dcyf

Court of Appeals of Washington·Decided March 2, 2020·No. 79941-0·Unpublished

Opinion

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

In the Matter of the Dependency of F.Y.O. (dob: 03/02/2015), DIVISION ONE

Minor Child, No. 79941-0-I STATE OF WASHINGTON, Respondent, UNPUBLISHED OPINION V.

MICHAEL WILLIAM FOSTER JR., Appellant. FILED: March 2, 2020 DWYER, J. — Following a four-year dependency and a five-day trial, the court terminated Michael Foster’s parental rights to his child. On appeal, Foster contends the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (Department)1 failed to carry its burden to prove several statutory prerequisites to terminafion. He also contends the Department failed to meet its additional burden under the federal and state Indian Child Welfare Acts, ICWA2 and WICWA.3 However, because unchallenged findings and substantial evidence support termination, we affirm.

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. Thus, in this opinion, the “Department” means DSHS before July 1,2018, and DCYF after July 1,2018.

2 Indian Child Welfare Act, 25 U.S.C. § 1901.

~ Washington State Indian Child Welfare Act, chapter 13.38 RCW.

F.Y.O., an Indian child,4 was born in March 2015 and will be five years old as of March 2020. F.Y.O. has lived his entire life in the care of a maternal aunt. He has never lived with his parents.

In April 2015, F.Y.O. was found dependent as to his mother.5 The identity of F.Y.O.’s father was unknown at that time.

In July 2015, F.Y.O. was found dependent as to the unknown father. The court entered an order of dependency and a dispositional order requiring the unknown father to come forward, contact the Department social worker for appropriate referrals, and establish paternity. Michael Foster established paternity in December 2015.6 In February 2016, after a review hearing, the court ordered Foster to participate in a chemical dependency evaluation, a domestic violence assessment, an age appropriate parenting class, a psychological evaluation with a parenting component, and random urinalysis testing. The court’s order also required Foster to obtain safe, stable, and drug/alcohol free housing, and maintain regular visitation twice per week with F.Y.O.

In July 2018, the Department petitioned to terminate Foster’s parental rights. The Department alleged, in pertinent part, that all ordered and necessary services had been offered or provided and there was little likelihood that

~ F.Y.O. qualifies as an “Indian child” under lcWA, 25 u.s.c. § 1903(4), because he is eligible for enrollment as a member in the Fort Belknap Indian community.

~ The mother is not a party on appeal.

6 Foster is also the father of S.Y.O., born in March 2016. He voluntarily terminated his

rights to S.Y.O. Those rights are not at issue here.

conditions would be remedied such that F.Y.O. could be returned to Foster within the near future. It also alleged that active, but unsuccessful, efforts were made to provide remedial services and to prevent the breakup of the Indian family and that placing F.Y.O. in Foster’s custody would likely result in serious emotional or physical harm to the child.

The termination trial took place over five days in April 2019. Foster did not attend the first three days of trial.7 At the hearing, the court considered the testimony of Tim Cole (the Department social worker assigned to Foster) Louise Doney (a Fort Belknap Tribal representative), Dr. Dana Harmon (a psychologist), Minu Ranna-Stewart (a clinical supervisor at Harborview Center for Sexual Assault and Traumatic Stress), Joey Johnson (an intervention treatment supervisor at Evergreen Recovery Centers), Elisabeth Yaroschuk (the court- appointed special advocate (CASA) assigned to F.Y.O.), and Foster, and admitted 46 exhibits into evidence.8 On May 3, 2019, the trial court terminated Foster’s parental rights. After entering numerous factual findings, the court concluded that the Department had established the necessary statutory factors by clear, cogent, and convincing evidence and that termination was in F.Y.O.’s best interests. It also concluded that the Department had proved, beyond a reasonable doubt, that placing F.Y.O.

~ When he finally appeared on the fourth day of trial, Foster blamed his absence on being sick and “trying to sleep.” Foster did not notify anyone about his illness, he claims, because he “wasn’t able to charge [his] phone.”

8 The court also considered the testimony of two additional witnesses, both of whom were

service providers for S.Y.O.

in Foster’s custody would likely result in serious emotional or physical harm to the child.

Foster appeals. We discuss additional facts in the relevant sections below.

To terminate parental rights, the Department must satisfy a two-pronged test. In re Dependency of K.N.J., 171 Wn.2d 568, 576, 257 P.3d 522 (2011). First, the Department must prove the six termination factors enumerated in RCW 13.34.180(1) by clear, cogent, and convincing evidence.9 K.N.J., 171 Wn.2d at 576-77. Once the Department establishes these statutory factors, the trial court must then make a finding of current unfitness before parental rights can be terminated. In re Parental Ricihts to K.M.M., 186 Wn.2d 466, 479, 379 P.3d 75 (2016). If this burden is satisfied, termination may be ordered if the Department establishes, by a preponderance of the evidence, that it is in the best interests of the child. RCW 13.34.190(1)(b); K.N.J., 171 Wn.2d at 577.

When termination proceedings involve an Indian child, as is the case here, ICWA and WICWA require the trial court to make two additional determinations. First, the court must find by clear, cogent, and convincing evidence that the Department made “active efforts” to help the parent remedy his or her parental

deficiencies. 25 U.S.C. § 1912(d); RCW 13.38.130(1); In re Delendency of A.M., lO6Wn. App. 123, 130-31, 135,22 P.3d 828 (2001). Second, the court

~ “Clear, cogent, and convincing evidence exists when the ultimate fact in issue is shown by the evidence to be ‘highly probable.” In re Dependency of KR., 128 Wn.2d 129, 141, 904 P.2d 1132 (1995) (internal quotation marks omitted) (quoting In re Sego, 82Wn.2d 736, 739, 513 P.2d 831 (1973)).

must find that the Department proved, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the parent’s continued custody of the child is likely to result in “serious emotional or

physical damage to the child.” 25 U.S.C. § 1912(f); RCW 13.38.130(3).

On review, we will uphold the trial court’s factual findings if they are

supported by substantial evidence.10 In re Dejjendency of RD., 58 Wn. App. 18, 25, 792 P.2d 159 (1990). unchallenged findings are verities on appeal. In re DerendencyofM.S.R., 174 Wn.2d 1,9,271 P.3d 234 (2012). Wedefertothe trial court on issues of conflicting testimony, credibility of the witnesses, and the weight or persuasiveness of the evidence. In re Welfare of A.W., 182 Wn.2d ‘689, 711, 344 P.3d 1186 (2015).

Ill

Foster contends that the “Department failed to establish nearly every”

statutory prerequisite for termination. We disagree.

A

Foster first argues that because the Department did not offer services to help him avoid future contact with F.Y.O.’s mother, it failed to offer all necessary services capable of correcting parental deficiencies.

In order to terminate parental rights, the Department has a statutory obligation to provide all services that the court ordered,11 as well as “all necessary services, reasonably available, capable of correcting the parental deficiencies within the foreseeable future.” RCW 13.34.180(1)(d). “Necessary

10 “Substantial evidence” means “evidence in sufficient quantity to persuade a fair

minded, rational person of the truth of the declared premise.” In re Welfare of TB., 150 Wn. App. 599, 607, 209 P.3d 497 (2009).

~ Foster does not dispute that the Department offered or provided all ordered services.

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