In the Int. of: S.T.S., Appeal of: D.S.

Superior Court of Pennsylvania·Decided March 17, 2023·No. 2134 EDA 2022·Unpublished

Opinion

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37

IN THE INTEREST OF: S.T.S., A : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF MINOR : PENNSYLVANIA : :

APPEAL OF: D.S., MOTHER :

: : : : No. 2134 EDA 2022

Appeal from the Order Entered August 11, 2022 In the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County Juvenile Division at No(s): CP-51-DP-0001217-2019

IN THE INTEREST OF: S.T.S., A : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF MINOR : PENNSYLVANIA : :

APPEAL OF: D.S., MOTHER :

: : : : No. 2135 EDA 2022

Appeal from the Decree Entered August 11, 2022 In the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County Juvenile Division at No(s): CP-51-AP-0000580-2021

IN THE INTEREST OF: I.D., A MINOR : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF : PENNSYLVANIA :

APPEAL OF: D.S., MOTHER :

: : : : : No. 2136 EDA 2022

Appeal from the Order Entered August 11, 2022 In the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County Juvenile Division at No(s): CP-51-DP-0001218-2019

IN THE INTEREST OF: I.D., A MINOR : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF : PENNSYLVANIA

:

APPEAL OF: D.S., MOTHER :

: : : : : No. 2137 EDA 2022

Appeal from the Decree Entered August 11, 2022 In the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County Juvenile Division at No(s): CP-51-AP-0000581-2021

IN THE INTEREST OF: A.D., A : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF MINOR : PENNSYLVANIA : :

APPEAL OF: D.S., MOTHER :

: : : : No. 2138 EDA 2022

Appeal from the Order Entered August 11, 2022 In the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County Juvenile Division at No(s): CP-51-DP-0001219-2019

IN THE INTEREST OF: A.B.A.-M.D., : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF A MINOR : PENNSYLVANIA : :

APPEAL OF: D.S., MOTHER :

: : : : No. 2139 EDA 2022

Appeal from the Decree Entered August 11, 2022 In the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County Juvenile Division at No(s): CP-51-AP-0000585-2021

IN THE INTEREST OF: A.D., A : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF MINOR : PENNSYLVANIA : :

APPEAL OF: D.S., MOTHER :

:

: : : No. 2140 EDA 2022

Appeal from the Order Entered August 11, 2022 In the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County Juvenile Division at No(s): CP-51-DP-0001221-2019

IN THE INTEREST OF: A.I.D., A : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF MINOR : PENNSYLVANIA : :

APPEAL OF: D.S., MOTHER :

: : : : No. 2141 EDA 2022

Appeal from the Decree Entered August 11, 2022 In the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County Juvenile Division at No(s): CP-51-AP-0000582-2021

IN THE INTEREST OF: A.-R.D., A : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF MINOR : PENNSYLVANIA : :

APPEAL OF: D.S., MOTHER :

: : : : No. 2142 EDA 2022

Appeal from the Order Entered August 11, 2022 In the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County Juvenile Division at No(s): CP-51-DP-0001222-2019

IN THE INTEREST OF: A.-R.I.D., A : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF MINOR : PENNSYLVANIA : :

APPEAL OF: D.S., MOTHER :

: : : : No. 2143 EDA 2022

Appeal from the Decree Entered August 11, 2022 In the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County Juvenile Division at No(s): CP-51-AP-0000583-2021

IN THE INTEREST OF: M.D., A : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF MINOR : PENNSYLVANIA : :

APPEAL OF: D.S., MOTHER :

: : : : No. 2144 EDA 2022

Appeal from the Order Entered August 11, 2022 In the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County Juvenile Division at No(s): CP-51-DP-0001220-2019

IN THE INTEREST OF: M.B.A.I.D., A : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF MINOR : PENNSYLVANIA : :

APPEAL OF: D.S., MOTHER :

: : : : No. 2145 EDA 2022

Appeal from the Decree Entered August 11, 2022 In the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County Juvenile Division at No(s): CP-51-AP-0000586-2021

IN THE INTEREST OF: A.-R.D., A : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF MINOR : PENNSYLVANIA : :

APPEAL OF: D.S., MOTHER :

: : : : No. 2146 EDA 2022

Appeal from the Order Entered August 11, 2022

In the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County Juvenile Division at No(s): CP-51-DP-0001223-2019

IN THE INTEREST OF: A.-R.I.D., A : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF MINOR : PENNSYLVANIA : :

APPEAL OF: D.S., MOTHER :

: : : : No. 2147 EDA 2022

Appeal from the Decree Entered August 11, 2022 In the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County Juvenile Division at No(s): CP-51-AP-0000584-2021

IN THE INTEREST OF: S.D., A : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF MINOR : PENNSYLVANIA : :

APPEAL OF: D.S., MOTHER :

: : : : No. 2148 EDA 2022

Appeal from the Order Entered August 11, 2022 In the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County Juvenile Division at No(s): CP-51-DP-0001432-2019

IN THE INTEREST OF: S.B.A.I.D., A : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF MINOR : PENNSYLVANIA : :

APPEAL OF: D.S., MOTHER :

: : : : No. 2149 EDA 2022

Appeal from the Decree Entered August 11, 2022 In the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County Juvenile Division at No(s): CP-51-AP-0000587-2021

BEFORE: DUBOW, J., KUNSELMAN, J., and NICHOLS, J.

MEMORANDUM BY KUNSELMAN, J.: FILED MARCH 17, 2023

In this consolidated matter, D.S. (Mother) appeals the decrees

terminating her parental rights to her eight Children, pursuant to the Adoption

Act. See 23 Pa.C.S.A. § 2511(a)(2), (5), (8) and (b).1 Mother also challenges

the orders changing the goals of the dependency proceedings from

reunification to adoption. Additionally, Mother’s counsel has filed an

application to withdraw and a brief, pursuant to Anders v. California, 386

U.S. 738 (1967). After review, we affirm the termination decrees, dismiss the

goal change appeals as moot, and grant counsel leave to withdraw.2

The record discloses the following factual and procedural history. The

relevant procedural and factual history is as follows. The family came to the

attention of DHS in Summer 2019, when Mother’s 14-year-old daughter, T.R.

alleged abuse by both Mother and Father. Father is the stepfather of T.R.;

1 The subject Children are:

• S.T.S, daughter, age 14 • I.D, son, age 10 • Ab. D., son, age 8 • A.-R.D. 1 son, age 7 • A.-R.D. 2., son, age 6 • Aa.D., daughter, age 5 • M.D., son, age 3 • S.D., daughter, age 2

2The trial court also terminated the rights of K.D. (Father). His consolidated appeals are separately listed before this panel.

T.R. is not the subject of these appeals.3 T.R. alleged that Mother beat her

and forced her to sleep outside. She also alleged that Father inappropriately

touched her on her buttocks and breasts, made her stay in the bathroom while

he showered, exposed himself to her, and on one occasion, licked the back of

her ear.4

These disclosures caused DHS to investigate the wellbeing of Father’s

seven other Children, who are the subject of this case.5 The Agency

interviewed the Children in the home. At that time, none of the Children

disclosed abuse, but the caseworker believed that the Children were afraid to

speak up and had tried to convey to the caseworker that Father could overhear

to their conversation. Father had chosen the room for the caseworker’s

interview, and he could be seen visible pacing outside on the porch.

On July 25, 2019, DHS obtained orders for protective custody for the

Children. After the shelter care hearing, the Children were temporarily

committed to DHS custody. A subsequent disclosure revealed that one of the

Children was beaten by Mother at Father’s direction, and that the Child was

made to sleep outside as punishment. The Child also alleged that she was

3 The trial court previously changed the goal of T.R.’s dependency proceedings from reunification to another planned permanent living arrangement (APPLA), i.e., permanent long-term foster care until the age of majority. See Interest of T.R., 283 A.3d 377 (Table), 2022 WL 2813796 (Pa. Super. 2022) (nonprecedential decision).

4 Father is the stepfather of T.R. Her biological father was unknown.

5 The youngest subject Child, S.D., was not yet born.

forced to do chores in her underwear to ensure that she did not have any food

on her person.

In September 2019, the Children were adjudicated dependent. The

court learned that Mother had given birth to S.D., and that the birth was

hidden from the agency. The facts that gave rise to the adjudications of the

older Children were a predicate for the removal and eventual adjudication of

S.D. The juvenile court instituted a single case plan, comprising of certain

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In the Int. of: S.T.S., Appeal of: D.S., (Pa. Ct. App. 2023).

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