In the Int. of: S.M., Appeal of: K.P. & B.M.

CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedSeptember 16, 2020
Docket552 MDA 2020
StatusUnpublished

This text of In the Int. of: S.M., Appeal of: K.P. & B.M. (In the Int. of: S.M., Appeal of: K.P. & B.M.) 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 the Int. of: S.M., Appeal of: K.P. & B.M., (Pa. Ct. App. 2020).

Opinion

J. S34037/20

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION – SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37

IN THE INT. OF: S.M., A MINOR : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF : PENNSYLVANIA : APPEAL OF: K.P. AND B.M., MOTHER : No. 552 MDA 2020 AND FATHER :

Appeal from the Decree Entered February 20, 2020, in the Court of Common Pleas of Tioga County Orphans’ Court Division at No. 7 OC 2020

IN THE INT. OF: K.M., A MINOR : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF : PENNSYLVANIA : APPEAL OF: K.P. AND B.M., MOTHER : No. 553 MDA 2020 AND FATHER :

Appeal from the Decree Entered February 20, 2020, in the Court of Common Pleas of Tioga County Orphans’ Court Division at No. 8 OC 2020

IN THE INTEREST OF: B.M., A MINOR : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF : PENNSYLVANIA : APPEAL OF: K.P. AND B.M., MOTHER : No. 554 MDA 2020 AND FATHER :

Appeal from the Decree Entered February 20, 2020, in the Court of Common Pleas of Tioga County Orphans’ Court Division at No. 9 OC 2020

BEFORE: PANELLA, P.J., BENDER, P.J.E. AND FORD ELLIOTT, P.J.E. J. S34037/20

MEMORANDUM BY FORD ELLIOTT, P.J.E.: FILED SEPTEMBER 16, 2020

In this consolidated appeal, K.P. (“Mother”) and B.M. (“Father”)

(collectively, “appellants”) appeal from the February 20, 2020 decrees

granting the petitions of the Tioga County Department of Human Services

(“DHS”) to involuntarily terminate their parental rights to their three minor

children, S.M. (born June 2015), K.M. (born June 2015),1 and B.M. (born June

2016) (collectively, “Children”), pursuant to 23 Pa.C.S.A. §§ 2511(a)(1), (2),

(5), and (b). After careful review, we affirm.

The juvenile court summarized the relevant facts and procedural history

of this case as follows:

[Appellants] in this action are the natural parents of [Children]. [DHS] has had legal and physical custody of [Children], constantly since June 26[], 2019, pursuant to Court Order. [DHS] was initially granted care, after [Children] w[ere] found in the custody of [appellants], who had been found passed out in a motor vehicle, aside a road in Westfield Township, Tioga County. [Children] w[ere] subsequently adjudicated dependent after a full Adjudicatory Hearing. [DHS] was directed to provide services intended to support [appellants’] efforts to address their substance use disorder, lack of parenting skills, and other concerns. This case was reviewed at regular intervals by the [juvenile c]ourt in the companion Dependency action, filed to Number[s 37] DP of 2019 [and 38 DP of 2019], the proceedings of which have been incorporated into the record of this proceeding.

[Children were adjudicated dependent on July 9, 2019.]

1 S.M. and K.M. are twins.

-2- J. S34037/20

During the course of the Dependency Proceeding, [Father] made no progress towards alleviating the circumstances, leading to the placement of [Children] and was found to be in minimal compliance with the Family Service Plan. [Mother] initially made efforts to address her substance use disorder, through her attendance at an in-patient rehabilitation facility, but after her departure from post-placement housing, [Mother] took no further steps to address her substance use disorder and immediately relapsed. Throughout the dependency of the Dependency Action, [DHD] offered services, specifically visitation, Effective Safe Parenting, and Intensive Case Management. The Effective Safe Parenting Program is a program offered by [DHS], which is intended to support the participants in dealing with substance use disorder, in an effort to allow them to become effective and safe parents. The program requires regular substance use testing, as well as regular meetings with service providers. The purpose of the meetings with the service provider are not simply to conduct substance use testing, but rather are intended to allow the participant to build a safe, stable recovery network, as well as permitting them to address parenting issues and other known concerns. The record in this case indicates that while [appellants] have periodically submitted to requested substance use tests, they have refused numerous efforts and requests by the Human Service Provider to address underlying concerns related to parenting and treatment. The record further reveals that both [Mother and Father] have failed to obtain recommended Substance Use Assessments, despite numerous requests to do so.

The testimony presented in this proceeding indicates that between early January to early February, the Service Provider, Clara Holley, attempted on 17 occasions, either by phone or in person to meet with [appellants], with success being limited to 1 occasion, during a review of the Family Service Plan.

Regarding visitation, [DHS] has, pursuant to Court Order, afforded both [Mother and Father] numerous

-3- J. S34037/20

opportunities to participate in visitation and has supported efforts to permit visitation on the Court Order scheduled by providing, at least on one occasion, gas cards, and on multiple occasions, throughout the life of this case, [DHS-]funded taxi service, to and from visitation. The record produced at the hearing established that [appellants] have participated in approximately one-half of the scheduled visitations. Regarding other services, [appellants] have failed to regularly meet with or communicate with the cas[ew]orker in this case. [Children] are currently placed with foster parents in Bradford County, Pennsylvania. [Children] have remained together, in this home, since approximately July of 2019. In the current placement, [Children’s] medical needs are attended to by the foster parents. The Court notes that despite [Children’s] medical care remaining in the Westfield area, within miles of [appellants’] residence, [appellants] have failed to attend any medical or dental appointments after July of 2019.

Juvenile court opinion (No. 552 MDA 2020; No. 7 OC 2020), 2/20/20 at 2-4;

see also juvenile court opinion (No. 553 MDA 2020; No. 8 OC 2020), 2/20/20

at 2-4, and juvenile court opinion (No. 554 MDA 2020; No. 9 OC 2020),

2/20/20 at 2-4.

On January 24, 2020, DHS filed petitions to involuntarily terminate

appellants’ parental rights to Children. The juvenile court conducted a

termination hearing on February 18, 2020; appellants were not present for

this hearing but participated via telephone. Following the hearing, the juvenile

court entered separate decrees for each appellant at each docket number,

involuntarily terminating their respective parental rights to Children pursuant

to Sections 2511(a)(1), (2), (5), and (b). On March 12, 2020, appellants

-4- J. S34037/20

jointly filed a timely notice of appeal at each docket number, in compliance

with Commonwealth v. Walker, 185 A.3d 969 (Pa. 2018), and its progeny.

Thereafter, appellants jointly filed concise statements of errors complained of

on appeal, in accordance with Pa.R.A.P. 1925(a)(2)(i), at each docket

number. On April 17, 2020, the juvenile court entered orders indicating that

it was relying on its findings of fact and opinions it authored in support of its

decrees terminating appellants’ parental rights. This court sua sponte

consolidated appellants’ appeals by per curiam order on April 20, 2020.

That same day, this court issued a rule to show cause order directing

appellants to explain why their notice of appeal from two separate decrees at

each docket number should not be quashed, pursuant to, inter alia, General

Electric Credit Corporation v. Aetna Casualty and Surety Company, 263

A.2d 448 (Pa. 1970) (establishing a three-part test to decide whether quashal

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