In the Matter of the Termination of the Parent-Child Relationship of N.W., Mother, and R.W. and P.W., Minor Children: N.W. v. Indiana Department of Child Services (mem. dec.) ( 2019 )

MEMORANDUM DECISION
Pursuant to Ind. Appellate Rule 65(D),
this Memorandum Decision shall not be FILED
regarded as precedent or cited before any Aug 26 2019, 6:43 am
court except for the purpose of establishing CLERK
Indiana Supreme Court
the defense of res judicata, collateral Court of Appeals
and Tax Court
estoppel, or the law of the case.
ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE
R. Patrick Magrath Curtis T. Hill, Jr.
Alcorn Sage Schwartz & Magrath, LLP Attorney General of Indiana
Madison, Indiana
Robert J. Henke
Natalie F. Weiss
Deputy Attorneys General
Indianapolis, Indiana
IN THE
COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA
In the Matter of the Termination August 26, 2019
of the Parent-Child Relationship Court of Appeals Case No.
of N.W., Mother, and R.W. and 19A-JT-429
P.W., Minor Children: Appeal from the
N.W., Dearborn Circuit Court
The Honorable
Appellant-Respondent,
James D. Humphrey, Judge
v. Trial Court Cause Nos.
15C01-1811-JT-24
Indiana Department of Child 15C01-1811-JT-25
Services,
Appellee-Petitioner.
Kirsch, Judge.
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[1] N.W. (“Mother”) appeals the juvenile court’s order involuntarily terminating
her parental rights to her children, R.W. and P.W. (“Children”). On appeal,
she contends that the Indiana Department of Child Services (“DCS”) failed to
demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that termination of her parental
rights was in the best interests of Children.
[2] We affirm.
Facts and Procedural History
[3] In March of 2017, Mother was living with her two children, R.W., born August
12, 2013, and P.W., born December 31, 2015. Mother had become addicted to
opiate prescription medication and was wrestling with other substance abuse
issues.
[4] On March 22, 2017, DCS filed petitions alleging that Children were children in
need of services (“CHINS”) as a result of Mother’s substance abuse issues.
Specifically, Mother was taking non-prescribed pain medication (oxycodone).
Tr. Vol. II at 17-18. DCS requested, and the juvenile court authorized, the
detention of Children pending CHINS adjudication, and Children were
removed from Mother’s care on March 23, 2017 due to the effect of Mother’s
substance abuse on them. Id. at 17. At the time DCS became involved, Mother
was addicted to opiates, dealing with the grief regarding the death of her
mother, and had seen her husband sentenced to a lengthy term in prison. Id. at
46. On May 18, 2017, the juvenile court determined that Mother had substance
abuse issues and had admitted she could benefit from services, and on June 28,
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2017, the juvenile court found Children to be CHINS and entered a
dispositional order, under which Mother was ordered to participate in various
services and follow certain guidelines. Id. at 18.
[5] In September 2017, Mother was arrested and charged with theft for taking
merchandise from a Walmart store without paying for it. Id. at 28. Mother
pleaded guilty and was placed on probation. A probation violation was filed on
October 1, 2018, when Mother tested positive for buprenorphine without a
valid prescription. Id. at 29. A warrant was issued for her arrest, and she was
incarcerated for violating her probation and released sometime in late 2018 or
early 2019. Id. at 29-30.
[6] Under the dispositional order, Mother was referred to an intensive outpatient
program (“IOP”) for substance abuse treatment, but she stopped attending in
November of 2017, then came back for one session in April 2018, but was
ultimately terminated from the service. Id. at 14-15. Mother had also
participated in in-home and visitation services until November of 2017 when
she stopped appearing for court hearings and family team meetings and became
non-complaint in visitation services. Id. at 19-20, 25, 28. Mother was referred
to drug screen services, but she was sporadic in her compliance, failing six out
of thirteen screens and was terminated from the service in late 2017. Id. at 21-
23.
[7] Mother only met with her home-based case manager one time in November
2017 and had no further communication with her. Id. at 8-9. In February
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2018, a supervisor for the home-based service provider took over Mother’s case,
and the file remained open for several months, but the supervisor was unable to
get into contact with Mother during that period of time. Id. at 11.
[8] Mother only attended two Child and Family Team Meetings, although one was
held every three months, and Mother fell asleep during one of the meetings she
attended. Id. at 26-27. The FCM’s last contact with Mother was in August
2018, when Mother stated she wanted to voluntarily relinquish her parental
rights. Mother did not see Children after November 2017. Id. at 24. Before
that date, Mother participated sporadically in visitation, and she did not
attempt to reengage in visitation services at any point after November 2017. Id.
at 27-28. At the termination hearing, Mother testified she was not sure when
she had last seen Children and she was “surprised” that she last visited with
them in November 2017. Id. at 51.
[9] On November 7, 2018, DCS filed petitions to terminate Mother’s parental
rights to Children, and on January 2, 2019, the juvenile court commenced a
hearing on the petitions. Evidence was presented that Mother had not
completed any services since November 2017. Id. at 19. At the time of the
evidentiary hearing, DCS’s plan for Children was adoption. Id. at 32. Children
were doing well in their pre-adoptive home and had bonded to their foster
parents. Id. The FCM stated that she did not believe that the conditions that led
to Children’s removal would be remedied and that reuniting Children with
Mother would be a threat to Children’s well-being and recommended
termination of parental rights. Id. at 30-31.
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[10] Mother was present at the initial hearing. Id. at 4. There, she was provided
with the time and date for the evidentiary hearing, but she failed to appear at
the evidentiary hearing without any explanation. Id. 4-5. The juvenile court
ruled that Mother had proper notice and held the hearing in her absence. Id. at
5. At the conclusion of the evidence, the juvenile court took the matter under
advisement. Following the evidentiary hearing, Mother contacted her
attorney, who requested that the juvenile court re-open the case for a hearing on
Mother’s evidence. Id. at 38-39. The juvenile court granted the request and
held a second evidentiary hearing on January 10, 2019. Id. at 39. The juvenile
court again took the matter under advisement. On January 28, 2019, the
juvenile court issued an its order terminating Mother’s parental rights to
Children. Appellant’s App. Vol. 2 at 37-40. Mother now appeals.
Discussion and Decision
[11] “The traditional right of parents to establish a home and raise their children is
protected by the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution.” In
re M.B., 666 N.E.2d 73, 76 (Ind. Ct. App. 1996), trans. denied. Parental interests
are subordinate to the children’s interests in determining the proper disposition
of a petition to terminate parental rights. Id. Parental rights may be terminated
when a parent is unable or unwilling to meet her parental responsibilities. In re
L.S., 717 N.E.2d 204, 208 (Ind. Ct. App. 1999), trans. denied, cert. denied, 534
U.S. 1161 (2002). The purpose of terminating parental rights is not to punish
the parent, but to protect the children. In re D.D., 804 N.E.2d 258, 264-65 (Ind.
Ct. App. 2004), trans. denied. In reviewing termination proceedings on appeal,
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we will neither re-weigh the evidence nor assess the credibility of the witnesses.
In re S.P.H., 806 N.E.2d 874, 879-80 (Ind. Ct. App. 2004). We only consider
the evidence that supports the trial court’s decision and reasonable inferences
drawn therefrom. Id.
[12] Our standard of review for the trial court’s findings of fact and conclusions
thereon is two-tiered. Id. First, we must determine whether the evidence
supports the findings and, second, whether the findings support the conclusions
of law. Id. In deference to the trial court’s unique position to assess the
evidence, we set aside the trial court’s findings and judgment terminating a
parent-child relationship only if they are clearly erroneous. Id. A finding of fact
is clearly erroneous when there are no facts or inferences drawn therefrom to
support it. Id. A judgment is clearly erroneous only if the conclusions of law
drawn by the trial court are not supported by its findings of fact or the
conclusions of law do not support the judgment. Id.
[13] Before an involuntary termination of parental rights may occur, the State is
required to allege and prove, among other things:
(B) that one (1) of the following is true:
(i) There is a reasonable probability that the conditions that
resulted in the child’s removal or the reasons for placement
outside the home of the parents will not be remedied.
(ii) There is a reasonable probability that the continuation of the
parent-child relationship poses a threat to the well-being of the
child.
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(iii) The child has, on two (2) separate occasions, been
adjudicated a child in need of services;
(C) that termination is in the best interests of the child; and
(D) that there is a satisfactory plan for the care and treatment of
the child.
Ind. Code § 31-35-2-4(b)(2). The State’s burden of proof for establishing these
allegations in termination cases “is one of ‘clear and convincing evidence.’” In
re H.L., 915 N.E.2d 145, 149 (Ind. Ct. App. 2009). Moreover, if the court finds
that the allegations in a petition described in section 4 of this chapter are true,
the court shall terminate the parent-child relationship. Ind. Code § 31-35-2-8(a)
(emphasis added).
[14] Mother argues that the juvenile court erred in finding that DCS met its burden
of proof to support termination of her parental rights. Specifically, Mother
contends only that DCS failed to prove that termination was in the best interests
of Children. She concedes that there was evidence presented that she did not
meet the requirements of the dispositional order but contends that this failure to
meet each and every element of the order was not sufficient to demonstrate that
termination was in best interest of Children. Mother asserts that she had made
substantial improvements in her life at the time of the evidentiary hearing and
that she should have been given more time to get her life back in order. She
claims that while termination of her parental rights will have little or no effect
on her children, it will withdraw services previously afforded to her.
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[15] We are not without sympathy to Mother’s plight, but our focus is on the
children. In considering whether the termination of parental rights is in their
best interest, the trial court is required to look to the totality of the evidence and
must subordinate the interests of the parent to those of the children involved. In
re A.K., 924 N.E.2d 212, 224 (Ind. Ct. App. 2010) (citing In re D.D., 804 N.E.2d
at 267), trans. dismissed. In doing so, the trial court must subordinate the
interests of the parents to those of the child involved. Id. A parent’s historical
inability to provide a suitable, stable home environment along with the parent’s
current inability to do so supports a finding that termination is in the best
interest of the child. In re A.P., 981 N.E.2d 75, 82 (Ind. Ct. App. 2012).
Testimony of the service providers, in addition to evidence that the conditions
resulting in removal will not be remedied, are sufficient to show by clear and
convincing evidence that termination is in the child’s best interests. In re A.S.,
17 N.E.3d 994, 1005 (Ind. Ct. App. 2014), trans. denied.
[16] Here, the evidence showed that Mother had a serious drug addiction, which is
the reason why Children were removed from her care initially. At the time
Children were removed from Mother’s care, she was taking oxycodone for
which she did not have a prescription. Although ordered to participate in drug
screens, Mother did not participate in most of the drug screens and failed six
out of the thirteen to which she did submit. Her referral for drug screens was
cancelled due to the fact that she missed too many appointments. Additionally,
Mother never completed any of the services recommended by DCS, and she
stopped attending IOP in November 2017, coming back for one session in April
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2018, and then never attending again. Mother was also incarcerated for a drug-
related issue when she tested positive for buprenorphine without a valid
prescription while on probation. Further, Mother had not seen Children or
participated in visitation with them for over a year prior to the evidentiary
hearing. Before that date, Mother participated sporadically in visitations and
did not try to reengage in visitation services after November 2017.
[17] Mother essentially contends that the juvenile court should have given her more
time to meet the DCS requirements. However, a trial court need not wait until
a child is irreversibly harmed such that his or her physical, mental, and social
development is permanently impaired before terminating the parent-child
relationship. In re A.K., 924 N.E.2d at 224. Additionally, a child’s need for
permanency is an important consideration in determining the best interests of a
child. Id. (citing McBride v. Monroe Cty. Office of Family & Children, 798 N.E.2d
185, 203 (Ind. Ct. App. 2003)). In addition to the evidence showing that
Mother had not participated in services or otherwise abided by the dispositional
decree, the FCM testified that she believed termination of Mother’s parental
rights would be in Children’s best interests. Based on the totality of the
evidence, we conclude that the evidence supported the juvenile court’s
determination that termination of Mother’s parental rights was in Children’s
best interests. Mother’s arguments to the contrary are a request for this court to
reweigh the evidence, which we cannot do. In re S.P.H., 806 N.E.2d at 879-80.
The juvenile court’s conclusion was supported by clear and convincing
evidence, and we affirm its judgment.
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[18] Affirmed.
Baker, J., and Crone, J., concur.
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