Victoria F. v. Dcs

CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedNovember 18, 2014
Docket1 CA-JV 14-0129
StatusUnpublished

This text of Victoria F. v. Dcs (Victoria F. v. Dcs) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Victoria F. v. Dcs, (Ark. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

NOTICE: NOT FOR PUBLICATION. UNDER ARIZONA RULE OF THE SUPREME COURT 111(c), THIS DECISION DOES NOT CREATE LEGAL PRECEDENT AND MAY NOT BE CITED EXCEPT AS AUTHORIZED.

IN THE ARIZONA COURT OF APPEALS DIVISION ONE

VICTORIA F., Appellant,

v.

DEPARTMENT OF CHILD SAFETY,1 J.P., J.P., S.P., S.P., Appellees.

No. 1 CA-JV 14-0129 FILED 11-18-2014

Appeal from the Superior Court in Maricopa County No. JD17049 The Honorable Connie Contes, Judge

AFFIRMED

COUNSEL

The Stavris Law Firm, PLLC, Scottsdale By Alison Stavris Counsel for Appellant

Arizona Attorney General’s Office, Mesa By Amanda Holguin Counsel for Appellees

1 Pursuant to S.B. 1001, Section 157, 51st Leg., 2nd Spec. Sess. (Ariz. 2014) (enacted), the Department of Child Safety (DCS) is substituted for the Arizona Department of Economic Security (ADES) in this matter. See ARCAP 27. For consistency, we refer to DCS in this decision even where, at the time, actions were taken by ADES. VICTORIA F. v. DCS, et al. Decision of the Court

MEMORANDUM DECISION

Judge Kenton D. Jones delivered the decision of the Court, in which Presiding Judge Peter B. Swann and Judge Michael J. Brown joined.

J O N E S, Judge:

¶1 Victoria F. (Mother) appeals the trial court’s order terminating her parental rights to the four oldest of her seven children, J.J.P., J.M.P., S.G.P., and S.M.P. (collectively, the Children), on the statutory grounds of fifteen months out-of-home care and Mother’s chronic substance abuse.2 See Ariz. Rev. Stat. (A.R.S.) § 8-533(B)(3), (8).3 Because the Children are “Indian child[ren],” these proceedings are subject to the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), 25 U.S.C. §§ 1901 to 1963. See 25 U.S.C. § 1903(4) (defining “Indian child”). Mother contends DCS presented insufficient evidence to support (1) either of the statutory grounds for severance, (2) the trial court’s finding that severance was in the Children’s best interests, and (3) the required ICWA finding that Mother’s continued custody would likely result in serious emotional or physical harm to the Children. See 25 U.S.C. § 1912(f). For the following reasons, we affirm.

FACTS4 AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

A. The 2008 Dependency Petition

¶2 This case originated in June 2008, when DCS filed a dependency petition as to the three oldest children, J.J.P., J.M.P., and S.G.P., after S.G.P. was born “substance exposed” to methamphetamine. Mother

2 R.P. is the natural father of J.J.P., J.M.P., and S.G.P. C.R. is the natural father of S.M.P. Both R.P. and C.R.’s parental rights were also terminated as to the Children, however, neither is a party to this appeal.

3 Absent material revisions from the relevant date, we cite a statute’s current version.

4 We view the facts in the light most favorable to upholding the termination order. See Christy C. v. Ariz. Dep’t of Econ. Sec., 214 Ariz. 445, 449, ¶ 12, 153 P.3d 1074, 1078 (App. 2007) (citing Jesus M. v. Ariz. Dep’t of Econ. Sec., 203 Ariz. 278, 282, ¶ 13, 53 P.3d 203, 207 (App. 2002)).

2 VICTORIA F. v. DCS, et al. Decision of the Court

admitted using meth throughout her pregnancy, and as recently as two days before S.G.P.’s birth. DCS took temporary custody of the three children, placed them in foster care, and filed a dependency petition.

¶3 During the dependency, Mother was offered various services from DCS, including drug testing, parent aide services/supervised visitation, parenting classes, and transportation assistance. She was referred to TERROS for a substance abuse assessment in July 2008, but was unable to begin treatment because she was incarcerated for an armed robbery, committed after the three children were taken into DCS custody. Following her release, Mother received another referral to TERROS in May 2009, and followed through with the recommendation that she enroll in intensive outpatient substance abuse treatment. Mother successfully participated in all services, and eventually regained physical custody of the three children in November 2009. In January 2010, Mother gave birth to S.M.P., who remained in Mother’s care. In February 2010, the dependency petition was dismissed.

B. The 2010 Dependency Petition

¶4 On August 9, 2010, DCS again took J.J.P., J.M.P., and S.G.P., into temporary custody and placed them in foster care after receiving a report that Mother and the Children were residing at a hotel, the Children were “filthy and bruised,” and two were suffering from severe eczema on their arms and legs, causing their skin to become raw and bleed. DCS also took S.M.P. into temporary custody after Mother informed DCS the child was residing with her paternal aunt; DCS found S.M.P. was well taken care of and placed her back with her paternal aunt under a safety plan. At that time, Mother admitted to the DCS case worker she began using meth again in May 2010, and had last used two days prior. She also admitted using the per capita income received from her tribe, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC or the Tribe), to buy meth, rather than pay her rent.

¶5 DCS then filed another dependency petition, alleging Mother neglected the Children by abusing substances that impaired her ability to parent and by failing to provide them basic necessities of life. SRPMIC intervened in the dependency action. The trial court entered temporary orders making the Children temporary wards of the court, granting DCS legal custody, and placing the three oldest children in DCS’s physical custody while placing S.M.P. in the physical custody of her paternal aunt. At that time, the case plan for the Children was family reunification.

3 VICTORIA F. v. DCS, et al. Decision of the Court

¶6 DCS again began providing services to Mother; specifically, it submitted referrals for drug testing and substance abuse treatment, and offered her supervised visitation and parent aide services. Mother did not initially participate in drug testing, and missed her first two intake appointments with TERROS. In a September 2010 meeting at TERROS, she self-reported she was still using meth and had used marijuana recently as well. Thereafter, she missed her third scheduled TERROS intake assessment, and her referral was closed in October 2010 for a lack of contact. Between August and October 2010, Mother participated in one supervised visit with the Children, and missed three other scheduled visits. In the middle of October 2010, Mother was again incarcerated, this time for criminal trespassing and violating her probation.

¶7 Upon her release in December 2010, DCS re-initiated services for Mother, re-submitting referrals for drug testing and substance abuse treatment, again offering parent aide services and supervised visitation, a psychological evaluation, and transportation assistance. Following completion of her TERROS substance abuse assessment intake interview, at which she stated she first used meth when she was sixteen years old, Mother received an Axis I diagnosis of “Amphetamine or Related Acting Sympathomimetic Abuse,” and was recommended to enroll in the Standard Outpatient Group. She participated in drug testing, consistently providing negative tests.

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