Shasta County Department of Social Services v. Gregory N.

110 Cal. App. 4th 1420, 2003 Daily Journal DAR 8512, 2003 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 6820, 3 Cal. Rptr. 3d 16, 2003 Cal. App. LEXIS 1168
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 30, 2003
DocketNo. C042530
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 110 Cal. App. 4th 1420 (Shasta County Department of Social Services v. Gregory N.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Shasta County Department of Social Services v. Gregory N., 110 Cal. App. 4th 1420, 2003 Daily Journal DAR 8512, 2003 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 6820, 3 Cal. Rptr. 3d 16, 2003 Cal. App. LEXIS 1168 (Cal. Ct. App. 2003).

Opinion

Opinion

MORRISON, J.

Tonya W. and Gregory N., the mother and father of the minor, appeal from the juvenile court’s order terminating their parental rights. (Welf. & Inst. Code, §§ 366.26, 395; further undesignated statutory references are to the Welfare and Institutions Code.) Appellants contend the juvenile court erred by failing to assure compliance with various provisions of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). (25 U.S.C. § 1901 et seq.) We shall affirm.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

In November 2001, the Shasta County Department of Social Services (DSS) filed a dependency petition concerning the minor after he was bom while the mother was in state prison. The petition alleged the mother had a lengthy criminal record, including five dmg-related convictions. According to the petition, the mother had failed to reunify with four other children.

At a hearing in May 2002, the juvenile court denied reunification services to the mother and set the matter for a hearing pursuant to section 366.26.

Subsequently, the mother disclosed that Gregory N., who was in prison, was possibly the minor’s father. In July 2002, Gregory N.’s paternity was confirmed through genetic testing.

The social worker’s report for the section 366.26 hearing disclosed that Gregory N. “may be eligible for enrollment in the Cherokee tribe.” The social worker reported: “Notice ([DSS form] Soc 319) was sent to the three Cherokee tribes on 7/19/2002.” The social worker also reported that responses had been received from two of the tribes—the United Keetoowah [1423]*1423Band and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians—“stat[ing] that the [minor] is not eligible for enrollment....” Copies of these responses were attached to the social worker’s report.

At the section 366.26 hearing in October 2002, the juvenile court found the minor adoptable and terminated appellants’ parental rights.1

DISCUSSION

The father contends that “reversal and remand is required because the trial court failed to properly notify the tribes, appellant, and the Secretary of the Interior of the pendency of the proceedings.” (Capitalization omitted.) We disagree.

Congress passed the ICWA in 1978 “to promote the stability and security of Indian tribes and families by establishing minimum standards for removal of Indian children from their families and placement of such children ‘in foster or adoptive homes which will reflect the unique values of Indian culture....’ ” (In re Levi U. (2000) 78 Cal.App.4th 191, 195 [92 Cal.Rptr.2d 648]; 25 U.S.C. § 1902; Mississippi Choctaw v. Holyfield (1989) 490 U.S. 30 [104 L.Ed.2d 29, 109 S.Ct. 1597].)

A major purpose of the ICWA is to protect “Indian children who are members of or are eligible for membership in an Indian tribe.” (25 U.S.C. § 1901(3).) For purposes of the ICWA, “ ‘Indian child’ means any unmarried person who is under age eighteen and is either (a) a member of an Indian tribe or (b) is eligible for membership in an Indian tribe and is the biological child of a member of an Indian tribe.” (25 U.S.C. § 1903(4).)

Among the procedural safeguards included in the ICWA is the provision for notice. The ICWA provides, in part: “In any involuntary proceeding in a State court, where the court knows or has reason to know that an Indian child is involved, the party seeking the foster care placement of, or termination of [1424]*1424parental rights to, an Indian child shall notify the parent or Indian custodian and the Indian child’s tribe, by registered mail with return receipt requested, of the pending proceedings and of their right of intervention ....” (25 U.S.C. § 1912(a).) “Notice shall be sent to all tribes of which the child may be a member or eligible for membership.” (Cal. Rules of Court, rule 1439(f)(3).)2

“Determination of tribal membership or eligibility for membership is made exclusively by the tribe.” (Rule 1439(g).) “[0]ne of the primary purposes of giving notice to the tribe is to enable the tribe to determine whether the child involved in the proceedings is an Indian child. [Citation.]” (In re Desiree F. (2000) 83 Cal.App.4th 460, 470 [99 Cal.Rptr.2d 688].) “The Indian status of the child need not be certain to invoke the notice requirement. [Citation.] Because the question of membership rests with each Indian tribe, when the juvenile court knows or has reason to believe the child may be an Indian child, notice must be given to the particular tribe in question or the Secretary [of the Interior]. [Citations.]” (Id. at p. 471.)

Initially, we note that appellants have failed to provide us a sufficient record to determine whether the juvenile court engaged in additional inquiry regarding the ICWA notice provided. Following the filing of the social worker’s report containing the relevant information concerning the minor’s possible Indian heritage, three hearings took place, yet the record on appeal includes a reporter’s transcript from only the last of these hearings. It is certainly possible that, in response to inquiry from the court, additional information was provided concerning the manner and content of the ICWA notice that was provided to the tribes. It is appellants’ responsibility to provide a record that is adequate for appellate review of their claims (see Ballard v. Uribe (1986) 41 Cal.3d 564, 574 [224 Cal.Rptr. 664, 715 P.2d 624]); as they have failed to do so, we are unable to fully evaluate what measures the juvenile court may have taken in regard to the claimed errors.

In any event, we conclude that the record adequately establishes compliance with the relevant provisions of the ICWA. In the present matter, the social worker discovered that the minor may have Cherokee Indian ancestry through his biological father. This information was sufficient to trigger the notice provisions of the ICWA, requiring notice “to all tribes of which the child may be a member or eligible for membership.” (Rule 1439(d)(2) & (f)(3).) The Federal Register, which lists the recognized Indian entities, contains three Cherokee entities: the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of North Carolina, and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians of Oklahoma. (61 Fed.Reg. 58211 (Nov. 13, 1996).) Accordingly, the social worker reported that notice was sent to “the three Cherokee tribes.” Responses were received from two of these [1425]*1425tribes—the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Appellants do not suggest there is insufficient evidence that the proper tribes were provided notice.

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110 Cal. App. 4th 1420, 2003 Daily Journal DAR 8512, 2003 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 6820, 3 Cal. Rptr. 3d 16, 2003 Cal. App. LEXIS 1168, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/shasta-county-department-of-social-services-v-gregory-n-calctapp-2003.