In the Interest of: M.S. & B.J.S. Appeal of: J.S. ( 2015 )


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  • J-S73031-14
    J-S73032-14
    NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37
    IN THE INTEREST OF:    M.S. & B.J.S., :         IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
    Minors,                               :               PENNSYLVANIA
    :
    :
    :
    :
    APPEAL OF: J.S., Mother,              :              No. 1288 MDA 2014
    Appeal from the Order entered on June 30, 2014
    in the Court of Common Pleas of Lancaster County,
    Juvenile Division, No(s): CP-36-DP-0000095-2012;
    CP-36-DP-0000196-2012
    IN THE INTEREST OF:    M.S. & B.J.S., :         IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
    Minors,                               :               PENNSYLVANIA
    :
    :
    :
    :
    APPEAL OF: R.S., Father,              :              No. 1289 MDA 2014
    Appeal from the Order entered on June 30, 2014
    in the Court of Common Pleas of Lancaster County,
    Juvenile Division, No(s): CP-36-DP-0000095-2012;
    CP-36-DP-0000196-2012
    BEFORE: BOWES, WECHT and MUSMANNO, JJ.
    MEMORANDUM BY MUSMANNO, J:                          FILED APRIL 15, 2015
    In these consolidated appeals, J.S. (“Mother”) and R.S. (“Father”)
    (collectively “the parents”) appeal from the Dispositional Order1 concerning
    their two minor children, M.S., born in November 2010, and B.J.S., born in
    November 2012 (collectively “the Children”), which ruled that it was not in
    1
    The single Dispositional Order, which pertains to both Mother and Father, is
    dated June 30, 2014.
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    J-S73032-14
    the Children’s best interest for their permanency plan to include a
    reunification plan concerning the parents. We affirm.
    The trial court thoroughly set forth the relevant facts and procedural
    history underlying this appeal in its Pa.R.A.P. 1925(a) Opinion entered on
    March 17, 2015. See Trial Court Opinion, 3/17/15, at 1-6.2 We incorporate
    the trial court’s recitation herein by reference. See id.
    On appeal, Mother presents two issues for our review:
    A. Whether the trial court erred when it failed to provide Mother
    with a child permanency plan for reunification with [the
    C]hildren?
    B. Whether the trial court erred in finding [that] Mother abused
    M.S. and B.J.S.?
    Mother’s Brief at 9.
    Father presents the following issue for our review: “Whether the trial
    court erred when it failed to provide Father with a child permanency plan for
    reunification with [the C]hildren[?]” Father’s Brief at 9.
    The parents argue that the trial court improperly refused to order a
    permanency plan for reunification following this Court’s remand in December
    2013. See id. at 12-14; Mother’s Brief at 14-18. The parents contend that
    the trial court’s omission was improper because (1) this Court previously
    found that no aggravating circumstances existed; (2) the parents have made
    progress in improving their parenting skills, and have participated in
    2
    We observe that Mother’s oldest child, J., the subject of the physical abuse
    by both Mother and Father, is not implicated in the Dispositional Order on
    appeal.
    -2-
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    J-S73032-14
    programs offered by the Lancaster County Children and Youth Service
    Agency (“the Agency”); and (3) the Agency inappropriately failed to give the
    parents   a   “second   chance,”   despite   the   Children’s   adjudication   of
    dependency. See Father’s Brief at 12-13; Mother’s Brief at 14-18. Mother
    also argues that the trial court erred in finding that she had abused the
    Children, as such finding is not supported by the record. See Mother’s Brief
    at 15-16, 19.
    Our standard of review is as follows:
    [T]he standard of review in dependency cases requires an
    appellate court to accept the findings of fact and credibility
    determinations of the trial court if they are supported by the
    record, but does not require the appellate court to accept the
    lower court’s inferences or conclusions of law. Accordingly, we
    review for an abuse of discretion.
    ***
    [A]ppellate courts must employ an abuse of discretion
    standard of review, as we are not in a position to make the close
    calls based on fact-specific determinations. Not only are our trial
    judges observing the parties during the hearing, but usually …
    they have presided over several other hearings with the same
    parties and have a longitudinal understanding of the case and
    the best interests of the individual child involved. Thus, we must
    defer to the trial judges who see and hear the parties and can
    determine the credibility to be placed on each witness and,
    premised thereon, gauge the likelihood of the success of the
    current permanency plan. Even if an appellate court would have
    made a different conclusion based on the cold record, we are not
    in a position to reweigh the evidence and the credibility
    determinations of the trial court.
    In re R.J.T., 
    9 A.3d 1179
    , 1190 (Pa. 2010) (citation omitted).
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    Here, in the trial court’s Pa.R.A.P. 1925(a) Opinion entered on August
    21, 2014, the court thoroughly addressed the parents’ claims, discussed the
    applicable law, and determined that the court properly denied the parents a
    reunification plan concerning the Children based upon (1) Mother and
    Father’s respective prior physical abuse of J.; (2) the parents’ lack of
    progress in their respective parenting plans; and (3) the trial court’s finding
    that making the Children available for adoption, and providing them
    permanency in a safe environment, would serve their best interests.       See
    Trial Court Opinion, 4/21/14, at 7-10. Our careful review confirms that the
    trial court’s analysis is supported by the record and the law, and we adopt it
    for purposes of this appeal. See 
    id.
     The trial court properly exercised its
    discretion in determining that reunification is not appropriate and is not in
    the Children’s best interests. See In re R.J.T., 9 A.3d at 1190 (providing
    that an appellate court must defer to the trial court judge who has presided
    over several other hearings with the same parties and has a longitudinal
    understanding of the case and the best interests of the individual children
    involved); see also In the Interest of: D.C.D., 
    105 A.3d 662
    , 676 (Pa.
    2014) (where the agency had failed to employ “reasonable efforts” to reunify
    a child with her parent, holding that permanency for a child may not be
    delayed because of such failure “when a court has otherwise held that
    grounds for termination have been established and the court has determined
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    that termination is in the best interests of the child by clear and convincing
    evidence.”).
    Additionally, pursuant to this panel’s directive in our February 19,
    2015 Judgment Order, the trial court, in its Pa.R.A.P. 1925(a) Opinion
    entered on March 17, 2015, thoroughly discusses the enumerated factors
    that a court must consider concerning evidence issued at a permanency
    review hearing, as set forth in 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 6351(f) and (f.1). See Trial
    Court Opinion, 3/17/15, at 7-10.      We incorporate the trial court’s detailed
    discussion herein for purposes of this appeal. See id.
    Based upon the foregoing, we conclude that the trial court properly
    exercised its discretion in refusing to require reunification in the permanency
    plan for the Children, where the parents had previously twice abused J., and
    reunification was not in the Children’s best interests.
    Dispositional Order affirmed.
    Judgment Entered.
    Joseph D. Seletyn, Esq.
    Prothonotary
    Date: 4/15/2015
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    IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS OF LANCASTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
    JUVENILE DIVISION
    IN THE INTEREST OF:                                  SUPER. CT. NO.: 1288 MDA 2014
    M. S., A Minor                                       DOCKET NO.: CP-36-DP-95-2012
    B. J. S., A Minor                                    DOCKET NO.: CP-36-DP-196-2012
    IN THE INTEREST OF:                                  SUPER. CT. NO. 1289 of 2014
    M. S., A Minor                                       DOCKET NO.: CP-36-DP-95-2012
    B. J. S., A Minor                                    DOCKET NO.: CP-36-DP-196-2012
    By: Leslie Gorbey, J.
    OPINION SUR APPEAL AND ON REMAND
    FACTUAL HISTORY AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY
    Three sisters are involved in this case: J. R. (J.), born September 15, 2007, M. S.
    (M.), born November 22, 2010, and B. J. S. (B. J.), born November 11, 2012. J. S.
    (Mother) is the mother of all three girls. R. S. (Father) is the father of M. and B. J., and
    the step-father of J .. S. R. is J.'s biological father.1
    At the time of J.'s birth, Mother was single. She subsequently married R. S.
    When J. was nine months old, she was indicated as abused by the Lancaster County
    Children and Youth Social Service Agency (Agency). Her injuries, as described in a
    Commonwealth Court opinion, included bruising and swelling of the left side of her
    head, bruising near the right temporal region, bruises on both sides of her neck, a large
    r-
    bruise on the rib cage, a buckle fracture of the left tibia and a fracture of the lefti1h ri~        c:,
    (")    2
    R.S., Jr. v. Department of Public Welfare, No. 1947 C.D. 2010 (April 1, 2011). ~              ~
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    Protective Service Plan was put in place. (N.T. 9/17/12, 48) Father was indicated as
    the perpetrator of this abuse on August 1, 2008, and J. was placed informally by
    agreement, with her maternal grandparents. Father appealed to the Commonwealth
    Court, which- affirmed his status as perpetrator. (R.S., Jr. V. Department of Public
    Welfare, supra) On June 18, 2010 the protective services case was closed. Mother
    has never believed that Father was a perpetrator.
    Mother gave birth to M. S. on November 22, 2010. Although the infant was
    permitted to go home with Mother and Father, a safety plan was established by the
    Agency, providing that Father was to have no unsupervised contact with her. (N.T.
    1/7/13, 95) The Family Service Plan was formulated and provided that both parents be
    evaluated for parental competence. After J.'s first abuse discussed above, Mother had
    seen a therapist, John Weigel, as part of her plan. He found Mother functioning at a
    borderline intelligence range and had serious concerns about her ability to function as a
    parent. He recommended individual counseling to address the relevant issues. He was
    also concerned about her failure to accept Father as the perpetrator. His test results
    show that Mother had a high score on the scale indicating false answers.
    Mother next saw Dr. Gransee, a psychologist, for a parenting assessment in May
    of 2011; his evaluative report recommended parent training. On August 20, 2011, a
    Personal Parent Trainer (PPT) was assigned to the Ss'. After some time, the parents
    seemed to be making progress, and J. returned to live with her mother, her step-father
    and her sister in January of 2012. The PPT, who was to stay to support the
    reunification, was discontinued early when J. was abused for the second time in early
    March of 2012. On March 16, 2012, Mother took J. to see a physician and told him that
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    bruises on the child happened during a nightmare when J. threw herself against a wall.
    (N.T. 9/17/12, 77) The Agency received a March 23rd call from Mother to tell them that
    J. had banged into the bedside wall during a nightmare and had been injured. When
    the caseworker went out to the house to investigate, she found that the child had black
    eyes, bruising and lacerations to her face. She took photographs. (GAL's Exhibit 1 ).
    Mother reported that she had gone into J.'s room alone after hearing J. scream, and
    believed that J., in the throes of a nightmare, had slapped or punched herself in the
    face, or banged her head, face first, against the wall. (N.T. 1/7/13, 114 et seq., 131)
    Mother did not see these things happen; it was a supposition or fabrication on her part.
    Father did tell his mother-in-law that Mother was hitting J .. (N.T. 7/30/212, 287) Mother
    told the police that the medication she was on could have caused the incident, but she
    later denied having said that. (N.T. 7/30/12, 166). Mother insisted that J. had frequent
    nightmares or "night terrors." She told an Agency caseworker that "J.'s nightmares were
    getting worse ... And they were going to be taking J. to the doctor because of concerns
    that J. may be having some kind of seizures because she shakes so violently during the
    nightmares."   (N.T. 7/30/12, 354) The resource mother told the Court that J. had had no
    nightmares or other nighttime disturbances while with her. (N.T. 7/30/12, 197-198) In
    addition, when M. S., the child's aunt, brought J. to see Dr. Hoshauer for an
    investigation of abuse, she said nothing about J. having sleep problems, although she
    was specifically asked. (Id at 230) Mother also went out of her way to hide the injured
    child from others. During the week immediately following the injury, she did not take J.
    to the doctor for treatment for the injuries, canceled her meetings with the PPT, and
    kept J. home from school. (N.T. 1/7/13, 144) She did not keep an appointment for an
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    \.
    investigative meeting with the police. (N.T. 7/30/12, 167-169)) She told the Court that
    the doctor had been unavailable when she called, but she admitted she did not then
    seek alternative care such as an Emergency Room visit. (Id at 144-147) A Shelter Care
    Order triggered by the March, 2012 abuse was issued by the Lancaster County Court
    on May 1, 2012. On May 10, 2012, temporary custody of M. was also given to the
    Agency, Mother was named as a perpetrator of abuse against J. and both children were
    placed by the Agency. Father was named as a perpetrator by omission because he
    had indicated to his mother-in-law that Mother had been hitting J .. (N.T. 7/30/12, 287)
    On May 14, 2012, a scheduled hearing was continued because Father's attorney was
    unavailable. On May 18, 2012, M. was placed in an Agency approved resource home
    with J .. A safety plan provided that J. and M. would live with their paternal aunt M. S.
    and have only supervised contact with Mother and Father. A CASA was appointed for
    the case on May 22, 2012. Unfortunately, the aunt's significant other did not want to be
    a permanent resource for the child, so on June 18, 2012, after a hearing, the order was
    modified and the children were placed in foster care.
    On July 30, 2012, and September 17, 2012, hearings were continued
    because of a lack of time to complete testimony. On September 20, 2012, the girls'
    placement was modified after hearing, and they were moved to live with their maternal
    grandparents. Mother was permitted to visit only in her parents' house. Hearings were
    held on October 1 and 14, December 6, 2012, and January 7, 2013 in order to
    complete testimony.
    Mother informed the Agency on October 11, 2012 that she was again
    pregnant and her third child was born on November 11, 2012. The Agency took
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    custody of the newborn, B. J., and placed her in an agency approved resource home.
    These foster parents are willing to be a permanent resource for the little girl.
    The Court received expert testimony from Cathy Hoshauer, M.D.,       a pediatrician
    and an expert in the evaluation of child abuse victims. (N.T. 7/30/12, 203 et seq.) Dr.
    Hoshauer had seen J. and reviewed an interview of her by a forensic interviewer
    concerning the injuries. She subsequently prepared a report, in which she concluded
    that the injuries sustained by J. were inconsistent with her hitting her head on a wall.
    (Id. at 215 et seq; Petitioner's Exhibit 1) She explained further that "if you bump your
    head against a wall, you're not going to get injuries in multiple different places. So her
    injuries were her mouth, below her eye, above her eye and hemorrhage within the eye,
    and that's not something that will - - that a child can create enough force on their own."
    (N.T. 7/30/12, 223-224) She also responded negatively when asked if she had ever
    seen a child of four or so who was able to self-injure themselves with their own hands
    or other body parts to cause purple bruising on their face. (N.T. 7/30/12, 219)
    On March 20, 2013, aggravated circumstances were found as to Mother and
    Father, an adjudication order was issued and all three children were found to be
    dependent. J. was placed in the physical custody of her biological father, M. to the
    custody of her maternal grandparents and B. J. to her foster parents.
    Father appealed the March 20, 2013 orders concerning M. and B. J. to the
    Pennsylvania Superior Court on April 17, 2013. Mother appealed the Orders concerning
    all three girls to the Superior Court on the same day. The Superior Court issued its
    opinion on December 10, 2013, affirming the dependency adjudication decision, but
    finding there were no aggravated circumstances and remanding the matter because of
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    the Court's decision to deny a reunification plan based thereon. A remand hearing was
    scheduled for March 3, 2014,and then continued to June 23, 2014,at the same time as a
    permanency review hearing. It was around this time when Mother went on her own to
    see another therapist, Bruce Eyer. (N.T. 1 /7 /13) 137) He has recommended no further
    necessary action, but this decision was based only on what Mother chose to self-report.
    For instance, he did not even know about the first instance of abuse. (Id., 151) She
    remains in therapy with him; he still has no detailed background information and has not
    dealt with any abuse. (N.T. 4/28/14, 7-8; 6/23/14, 21) Mother and Father are involved in
    a parenting program; a caseworker inquiry found that it involved basic child care and did
    not deal with abuse. (N.T. 4/28/14, 14.) Mother testified that she cannot think of any
    other services that the Agency could provide to her to remedy her situation. (N.T.
    6/23/14, 26) Father did not testify at all so the status of his involvement in any services is
    unknown. The only information the Court has is that he has been attending a parenting
    program with Mother.
    This Court issued its dispositional order on July 1, 2014, and.without finding
    aggravated clrcumstances.denied     the parents a reunification plan. On July 30, 2014,
    Mother and Father both appealed the July 1 order to the Pennsylvania Superior Court,
    which issued an opinion on February 19, 2015, again remanding the matter to the trial
    Court with instructions to discuss the specific considerations set out in Section 6351 (f)
    and Section 6351(f.1) of the Pennsylvania Juvenile Act. It is pursuant to this remand
    that this opinion is being written. The arguments and discussions of this Court's two
    prior decisions, insofar as consistent with the two Superior Court remand opinions, are
    incorporated herein by reference.
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    ISSUE
    Whether two young children should be returned to their family in which their older
    half-sister was seriously abused on two separate occasions, the parents have been
    found to be perpetrators of the abuse, have no plan for reunification, have made no
    progress toward remedying the situation in which the abuse occurred, and where the
    children live with appropriate permanent resource families.
    ANALYSIS
    Section 6351 (f) sets out specific elements for the trial court to consider during a
    review hearing in order to support its decision after that hearing. These elements and
    the Court's specific consideration of them are as follows:
    Section 6351 (f) Matters to be determined at permanency hearing -At each permanency
    hearing, a court shall determine all of the following:
    (1) the continuing necessity for and appropriateness of the placement.
    Given the history of this family, the serious abuse perpetrated twice upon J. and
    the fact that there have been no serious remedial actions taken by the family relative to
    infliction of abuse, the children remain appropriately in foster care. The Court cannot
    rely upon either Mother or Father to keep the children safe since both, at different times,
    inflicted serious physical abuse upon J. This is not a situation where one parent is
    appropriate.   Neither parent can be trusted to ensure the safety of the children. And
    since M. is doing well in a household which includes her maternal grandparents and her
    half-sister J., B. J. is doing well and is happy in her current resource home, and the girls
    visit with each other on a regular basis, the Court finds these arrangements to be
    decidedly appropriate.   If the children are not in placement in a safe setting with
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    appropriate resource parents, then the only alternative is to return them to two parents
    who are proven abusers of a child.
    (2) the appropriateness, feasibility and extent of compliance with the permanency
    plan developed for the child.
    While there is currently no plan for reunification in effect, the parents' compliance
    therewith cannot be examined, but these parents have been in a prior situation where
    they were operating under a safety plan and a Family Service Plan for J. The plan
    included various goals for the parents and also provided for a personal parent trainer
    (PPT). Despite the provision of one-on-one instruction by the PPT and in the final phase
    of their Family Service Plan, J. was again seriously abused, lndicatinq that these parents
    were not sufficiently compliant with the plan to remedy their abusive tendencies.
    (3) the extent of progress made toward alleviating the circumstances which
    necessitated the original placement.
    There is no visible progress. J. was abused for the second time during the time a
    PPT was providing extensive help to the parents and they were also receiving help from
    the Agency.    Mother continues to insist that the child was not abused, but harmed
    herself. She also does not believe that Father was the perpetrator of the first abuse
    which included two fractured bones. By the time of placement in 2012 when J. was just
    four and a half years of age, she had been seriously abused by both her step-father and
    then by her mother. The Court saw a disturbing lack of candor in these parents'
    testimony.    It was clear from Dr. Hoshauer's testimony that J. was not injured by her
    activities during "night terrors." She was harmed by someone else. Mother has also not
    been truthful with her current therapist and without the operative facts he has concluded
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    that she needs no additional help from him. Whether the parents' denial is purposeful or
    unconscious, it does not bode well for the safety of young children in their care and
    certainly indicates that these parents have made little if any progress.
    Since the second placement of J., the parents attended a "basic child care" class
    which did not deal specifically with abuse.   If the parents were unable to make progress
    with the intensive one-on-one PPT class, then attending a basic class on child care is of
    little value to alleviate the reason which necessitated the reason for placement.
    (4) the appropriateness and feasibility of the current placement goal for the
    child[ren].
    The children are in suitable resource homes where they are doing well, are
    happy, and, above all, are safe from the kind of abuse perpetrated upon J. by her step-
    father and her mother. Both homes are permanent resources and adoption is
    contemplated as soon as is procedurally possible.
    Section 6351 (f.1) sets out additional matters for examination.    The relevant
    paragraph in this case is (f.1 )(2) which asks the Court to consider "if and when the child
    will be placed for adoption and the county agency will file for termination of parental
    rights in cases where return to the child's parent, guardian or custodian is not best suited
    to the safety, protection and physical, mental and moral welfare of the child."
    As stated above, the Court believes because of the two separate physical abuses
    perpetrated upon J., the lack of candor of the parents about the origin of her injuries,
    their lack of response to the remedial efforts taken by the Agency, and their current lack
    of realistic remedial services, there is no way the Court can return these children to their
    parents and thereby put their safety, protection, physical, mental and moral welfare in
    9
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    jeopardy. The current, very appropriate placements are permanent, and adoption of
    these children is contemplated.
    For the reasons set out above, the Court finds that the current disposition is that
    which is best suited to the safety, protection, and physical, mental and moral welfare of
    the S. children.
    BY THE COURT:
    ~~
    Dated: March 16, 2015                        LESLIE GORBEY, JUDGE
    Attest:
    Copies to:
    I certify this document to bo rn::ci
    Caprice Hicks-Bunting, Esquire
    Samuel Encarnacion, Esquire            in the Lancaster County OLc::, :jf
    Elizabeth A. Stineman, Esquire         the Cler!~ of the Courts.
    d~t~))r!! » 1~: '.
    David J. Natan, Esquire
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    IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS OF LANCASTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
    JUVENILE DIVISION
    IN THE INTEREST OF:                                       SUPER. CT. NO.: 1288 MDA 2014
    M. S., A Minor                                            DOCKET NO.: CP-36-DP-95-2012
    B. J. S., A Minor                                         DOCKET NO.: CP-36-DP-196-2012
    IN THE INTEREST OF:                                       SUPER. CT. NO. 1289 of 2014
    M. S., A Minor                                            DOCKET NO.: CP-36-DP-95-2012
    B. J. S., AMinor                                          DOCKET NO.: CP-36-DP-196-2012
    By: Leslie Gorbey, J.
    OPINION SUR APPEAL
    FACTUAL HISTORYAND         PROCEDURAL HISTORY
    Three sisters are involved in this case: J. R. (J.), born September 15, 2007, M. S.
    (M.), born November 22, 2010, and B. J. S. (B. J.), born November 11, 2012. J. S.
    (Mother) is the mother of all three girls. R. S. (Father) is the father of M. and B. J., and
    S. R. is J.'s father.1
    At the time of J.'s birth, Mother was single. She subsequently married R. S.
    When J. was nine months old, she was reported as abused to the Lancaster County
    Children and Youth Social Service Agency (Agency).               Her injuries, as described in a
    Commonwealth              Court opinion, included bruising and swelling of the left side of her
    head, bruising near the right temporal region, bruises on both sides of her neck, a large
    bruise on the rib cage, a buckle fracture of the left tibia and a fracture of the left 81h,....,rib.
    J>     = (;
    R.S., Jr. v. Department of Public Welfare, No. 1947 C.D. 2010 (April 1, 2011 ~ A~                           ~
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    Protective Service Plan was put in place. (N.T. 9/17/12, 48) Father was indicated as
    the perpetrator of this abuse on August 1, 2008, and J. was placed informally by
    agreement, with her maternal grandparents.     On June 18, 2010 the protective services
    case was closed.   Mother has never believed that Father was a perpetrator.    Father
    appealed to the Commonwealth     Court, which affirmed his status as perpetrator.   (Id)
    Mother gave birth to M. S. on November 22, 2010. Although the infant was
    permitted to go home with Mother and Father, a safety plan was established by the
    Agency providing that Father was to have no unsupervised contact with her. (N.T.
    1/7/13, 95) The Family Service Plan also provided that both parents be evaluated for
    parental competence. After J.'s first abuse, Mother had seen a therapist, John Weigel,
    as part of her plan. He found Mother functioning at a borderline intelligence range and
    had serious concerns about her ability to function as a parent. He recommended
    individual counseling to address the relevant issues. He was also concerned about her
    failure to accept Father as the perpetrator. His test results show that Mother had a high
    score on the scale indicating false answers.
    Mother next saw Dr. Gransee, an Agency consultant, in May of 2011; his
    evaluative report recommended parent training. Mother also went on her own to see
    another therapist, Bruce Eyer. (N.T. 1/7/13) 137) He has recommended no further
    necessary action, but this decision was based only on what Mother chose to self-report.
    For instance, he did not even know about the first instance of abuse. (Id., 151) She
    remains in therapy with him; he still has no detailed background information and has
    not dealt with the abuse. (N.T. 4/28/14, 7-8; 6/23/14, 21) Mother and Father are
    involved in a parenting program; a caseworker inquiry found that it involved basic child
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    care and did not deal with abuse. ( N.T. 4/28/14, 14.) Mother testified that she cannot
    think of any other services that the Agency could provide to her to remedy her situation.
    (N.T. 6/23/14, 26) Father did not testify as to the status of his compliance, if any, with
    the plan. The only information the Court has is that he has been attending a parenting
    program with Mother.
    On August 20, 2011, a Personal Parent Trainer (PPT) was assigned to the Ss'.
    After some time, the parents seemed to be making progress, and J. returned to live with
    her mother, step-father and sister in January of 2012. The PPT, who was to stay to
    support the reunification, was discontinued early when J. was again abused in March of
    2012. On March 16, 2012, Mother took J. tosee a physician and told him that bruises
    on the child happened during a nightmare when J. threw herself against a wall. (N.T.
    9/17/12, 77) After a second incident on March 20, 2012, the Agency received a March
    23rd call from Mother to tell them that J. had banged into the bedside wall during a
    nightmare and had been injured. When the caseworker went out to the house to
    investigate, she found that the child had black eyes, bruising and lacerations to her
    face. She took photographs. (GAL's Exhibit 1 ). Mother reported that she had gone into
    J.'s room alone after hearing J. scream, and believed that J., in the throes of a
    nightmare, had slapped or punched herself in the face, or banged her head, face first,
    against the wall. (N.T.1/7/13,   114 et seq., 131) Mother did not see these things
    happen; it was a supposition or fabrication on her part. Father did tell his mother-in-law
    that Mother was hitting J .. (N.T. 7/30/212, 287) Mother told the police that the
    medication she was on could have caused the incident, but she later denied having
    said that. (N.T. 7/30/12, 166). Mother insisted that J. had frequent nightmares or "night
    3
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    terrors." She told an Agency caseworker that "J.'s nightmares were getting worse ...
    And they were going to be taking J. to the doctor because B. was concerned that J.
    may be having some kind of seizures because she shakes so violently during the
    nightmares."   (N.T. 7/30/12, 354) The resource mother told the court that J. had had no
    nightmares or other nighttime disturbances while with her. (N.T. 7/30/12, 197-198) In
    addition, when M. S., the child's aunt, brought J. to see Dr. Hoshauer for an
    investigation of abuse, she said nothing about J. having sleep problems, although she
    was specifically asked. (Id at 230) Mother also went out of her way to hide the injured
    child from others.   During the week following the injury, she did not take J. to the doctor
    for treatment for the injuries, canceled her rneetinqs with the PPT, and kept J. home
    from school. (N.T. 1/7/13, 144) She did not keep an appointment for an investigative
    meeting with the police. (N.T. 7/30/12, 167-169)) She told the Court that the doctor
    had been unavailable when she called, but she admitted she did not seek alternative
    care such as an Emergency Room visit. (Id at 144-147) J.'s Shelter Care Order
    triggered by the March 23, 2012 abuse was issued by the Lancaster County Court on
    May 1, 2012. On May 10, 2012, temporary custody of M. was also given to the Agency,
    Mother was named as a perpetrator of abuse against J. and both children were placed
    by the Agency.   Father was named as a perpetrator by omission because he appeared
    to know that Mother had been hitting J .. (N.T. 7/30/12, 287) On May 14, 2012, a
    scheduled hearing was continued because Father's attorney was unavailable. On May
    18, 2012, M. was placed in an Agency approved resource home with J .. A safety plan
    provided that J. and M. would live with their paternal aunt M. S. and have only
    supervised contact with Mother and Father. A CASA was appointed for the case on
    4
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    May 22, 2012. Unfortunately, the aunt's significant other did not want to be a permanent
    resource for the child, so on June 18, 2012, after a hearing, the order was modified and
    the children were placed in foster care.
    On July 30, 2012, and September 17, 2012, hearings were continued
    because of a lack of time to complete testimony.     On September 20, 2012, the girls'
    placement was modified after hearing, and they were moved to live with their maternal
    grandparents.    Mother could visit only in her parents' house.   Hearings were held on
    October 1 and 14, December 6, 2012, and January 7, 2013 in order to complete
    testimony.
    Mother informed the Agency on October 11, 2012 that she was again pregnant
    and her third child was born on November 11, 2012. The Agency took custody of the
    newborn, B. J., and placed her in an agency approved resource home. These foster
    parents are willing to be a permanent resource for the little girl.
    The Court received expert testimony from Cathy Hoshauer, M.D., a pediatrician
    and an expert in the evaluation of abuse victims. (N.T. 7/30/12, 203 et seq.) Dr.
    Hoshauer had seen J. and reviewed an interview of her by a forensic interviewer
    concerning the injuries. She subsequently prepared a report, in which she concluded
    that the injuries sustained by J. were inconsistent with her hitting her head on a wall.
    (Id. at 215 et seq; Petitioner's Exhibit 1) She explained further that "if you bump your
    head against a wall, you're not going to get injuries in multiple different places. So her
    injuries were her mouth, below her eye, above her eye and hemorrhage within the eye,
    and that's not something that will - - that a child can create enough force on their own."
    (N.T. 7/30/12, 223-224) She also responded negatively when asked if she had ever
    5
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    seen a child of four or so who was able to self-injure themselves with their own hands
    or other body parts to cause purple bruising on their face. (N.T. 7/30/12, 219)
    On March 20, 2013, aggravated circumstances were found as to Mother and
    Father, an adjudication order was issued and all three children were found to be
    dependent. J. was placed in the physical custody of her father, M. to the custody of her
    maternal grandparents and B. J. to her foster parents.
    Father appealed the March 20, 2013 orders concerning M. and B. J. to the
    Pennsylvania Superior Court on April 17, 2013.     Mother appealed the Orders concerning
    all three girls to the Superior Court on the same day. The Superior Court issued its
    opinion on December 10, 2013, , affirming th'e dependency adjudication decision, but
    finding there were no aggravated circumstances and remanding the matter because of
    the Court's decision to deny a reunification plan based thereon.   A remand hearing was
    scheduled for March 3, 2014 and then continued to June 23, 2014 at the same time as a
    permanency review hearing. This Court issued its dispositional order on July 1, 2014,
    and without finding aggravated circumstances denied the parents a reunification plan.
    On July 30, 2014, Mother and Father both appealed the July 1 order to the Pennsylvania
    Superior Court, pursuant to which appeal this opinion is being written.
    ISSUE
    Whether the Court appropriately denied Mother and Father a reunification plan for
    their two younger-daughters when the third daughter had been physically abused twice
    at separate times, once by Father resulting in bruising and two fractures and twice by
    Mother resulting in serious bruising of her head and face, neither party has completed a
    6
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    plan in a period of over three years, and there are no additional useful services that can
    be offered to Mother and Father.
    ANALYSIS
    In its opinion of December 1 O, 2013, the Superior Court affirmed this Court's
    decision that M. and B. J. were dependent and abused children. The Superior Court,
    however, found that this Court erred in its finding of aggravated circumstances; the case
    was remanded for an examination of whether a plan for reunification could be withheld
    absent aggravated circumstances. This court scheduled and held hearings relevant to
    the Superior Court's remand order.
    Once a child has been adjudicated dependent, additional decisions in the context
    of permanency planning are made according to his best interest. In re J. S. W., 
    651 A. 2d 167
     (Pa. Super 1994) Permanency planning is a concept whereby children are not
    relegated to the limbo of spending their childhood in foster homes, but instead,
    dedicated effort is made by the court and the children's agency to rehabilitate and unite
    the family in a reasonable time, and failing in this, to free the child for adoption. In re
    J.S.W., 
    651 A.2d 167
    , 170 (1994) The Superior Court has held that providing no plan
    for reunification can be an appropriate decision, depending on the factual
    circumstances. In re R. T., C.A., K.A., 
    778 A.2d 670
     (Pa. Super, 2001) In In R. T.,
    although the trial court had found that aggravated circumstances existed and did not
    provide a reunification plan based on that finding, the Superior Court decided that there
    were no aggravated circumstances because of a lack of statutory retroactivity, but still
    permitted there to be no plans for reunification .. In so doing, the Court said :
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    Preliminarily, we note that although the polestar of the Juvenile Act is reunification of the
    family, 55 Pa. Code§ 3130.67 lists adoption as a permissible goal for a dependent child.
    See id. at (b)(9)(iii). See also In the Matter of Luis R., 
    430 Pa. Super. 518
    , 
    635 A.2d 170
    ,
    172-73 (1993), appeal denied, 
    538 Pa. 635
    , 
    647 A.2d 511
     (1994) (noting permissible
    goals listed in 55 Pa. Code§ 3130.67(b)(9), and explaining that "one goal is not
    mandated over another; nor does the language of the regulation require that each goal
    be implemented in the order in which they are listed."). A review of the trial court's
    ......... Order and its Opinion following appeal reveals that the court found the placement
    plan amendments at issue here appropriate, regardless of the alleged aggravating
    circumstance." In re R.T., 
    2001 PA Super 157
    , 
    778 A.2d 670
    , 680 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2001)
    The instant opinion is directly governed by the In re R. T. holding, and this court
    finds that refusal of a reunification plan for Mother and Father is an appropriate
    measure. In 2008, at nine months of age, J. was physically abused by Father, with
    resulting serious physical injuries. Mother continues to believe that Father was not the
    perpetrator. Then in 2012, after a Personal Parent Trainer worked with Mother and
    Father, after both J. and M. were returned to them, after they had been involved with
    the Agency for a matter of years and received a long list of services, J. was again
    seriously abused, experiencing resulting lacerations, bruising, swelling on the face and
    swollen and black eyes. The family was unable to look inward for a cause, instead
    blaming the child herself, citing bad dreams and sleep disorders. This conclusion was
    dispelled by the testimony of Dr. Horshauer, a pediatrician, who said she had never
    seen a child harm herself as J.'s injuries indicated. The Court agrees with and accepts
    Dr. Horshauer's opinion as a matter of judicial good sense, finding Mother's testimony
    not credible. The limited strength and small hands of a child cannot conceivably create
    on that child's own body the kind of injuries obvious on J.'s face in the picture provided
    as the Guardian's Exhibit 1, and bumping a head against a wall cannot conceivably
    produce various discrete injuries all over a child's face. The Court believes that J. did
    8
    Circulated 03/27/2015 03:47 PM
    not harm herself, but rather that Mother was the perpetrator.     Mother's actions on the
    night of the injuries and afterward are very telling to this Court and support its decision.
    She was in J.'s room before anyone else for some unspecified period of time. She
    insisted unreasonably    that J. was responsible for her own injuries.   She contends that
    she did not obtain medical care for J. because when she called to make an appointment,
    the doctor would not see J., but then she never took this visibly injured child to the
    emergency    room for treatment.   She kept the child home from school so the teachers,
    mandated reporters, would not see her. She insistently refused to permit the personal
    parent trainer to come as she normally would, so the PPT would not see J. That Mother
    harmed J. and then went to such lengths to keep her hidden and away from medical
    attention indeed provides sufficient evidence that J. is an abused and dependent child.
    The extent of her injuries and her mother's indifference to them as well as the history of
    her step-father's   abuse, clearly supports her having been removed from her parents'
    custody.
    Although J. was seriously abused twice, once by her step-father and once by her
    mother, a scenario which fulfills the requirements of abuse and dependency, the court
    recognizes that M. and B. J. were not physically harmed by either Mother or Father.
    Nonetheless, the operative concepts apply to them also. They have a Mother and
    Father who are both perpetrators of abuse as parents. There is nothing in the record
    that indicates to the court these children would be safe if they were given into the
    custody of these parents, absent Mother's and Father's successfu)W' engagement in
    remedial activities. Mother and Father did not sufficiently engage in such activities.
    Neither was fully compliant with the available plan. Mother saw a counselor at
    9
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    Pennsylvania Counseling Services, but stopped when the counselor went elsewhere.
    She saw Dr. Gransee , who recommended par en t t raining,
    . .   which the Agency provided in
    the form of a PPT. Despite such personalized t raining,
    . .    J . was injured again. Mother
    went to Dr. Eyer, another therapist, on her own .1rniti1a t'1ve, but. never showed him prior
    informational reports, allowing him to know only what she chose to self-report. Father
    never even testified as to his remedial activities, if any. Mother told the Court that she
    and Father are now in counseling together, but little information is available concerning
    the substance of the counseling or their progress. There are no objective criteria
    available to the court that indicate that Mother's and Father's predilections to harm a
    child in their care has been remedied to such an extent that J., or any other child, would
    be safe. In the last hearing, Mother was candid in admitting that there was nothing else
    the Agency could provide that would be helpful to her.
    To allow these children to languish in foster care, while no additional services are
    available, is clearly not in the children's best interests. Not only are M. and 8. J.
    unquestionably dependent children at the present time, they appear to be permanently
    without an appropriate parent. After a finding of dependency, the standard to be applied
    by the court as to further disposition is the best interest of the child . M.'s and B. J.'s best
    interests requires that they live permanently in a loving home where there exists no risk
    of harm from their parental caretakers. Given the long time frame of this case and the
    parents' lack of progress, Mother and Father are not those caretakers and cannot be
    trusted to provide a safe haven for these children within a reasonable period of time.
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    CONCLUSION
    For the reasons stated above this Court finds that to return M. and B.J. to Father
    and/or Mother would place the children at risk of harm, since neither parent has
    completed a plan or reached a status which informs the court that there is no longer a
    risk of abuse being perpetrated upon a child in their custody. The Court therefore
    believes it to be in these dependent children's best interest to deny Mother and Father a
    reunification plan.
    BY THE COURT:
    DATED:
    Attest:
    August»..     , 2014                  LES=!v~GE
    Copies to:
    Caprice Hicks-Bunting, Esquire
    Samuel Encarnacion, Esquire
    Elizabeth A. Stineman, Esquire
    David J. Natan, Esquire
    11
    

Document Info

Docket Number: 1288 MDA 2014

Filed Date: 4/15/2015

Precedential Status: Precedential

Modified Date: 4/17/2021