In Re Munir I-M, L-07-1157 (1-11-2008)
In Re Munir I-M, L-07-1157 (1-11-2008)
Opinion of the Court
{¶ 2} Appellants were involved with LCCS since 2003 and previously lost permanent custody of three other children, who were found to be dependent and/or *Page 2 neglected due to appellants' history of domestic violence, substance abuse, unstable housing, unstable income, and mental health problems. On January 26, 2007, following Munir's birth, LCCS filed a complaint in dependency, sought permanent custody, and sought a finding by the juvenile court that reasonable efforts by LCCS were not required to prevent removal, eliminate continued removal, or to return the child safely home.
{¶ 3} At the shelter care hearing, held January 26, 2007, the juvenile court awarded temporary custody to LCCS. On February 28, 2007, the juvenile court held a bypass/pretrial hearing wherein the court determined that the evidentiary standards had been met for a finding that case plan services and reasonable efforts were not necessary for LCCS to proceed on the complaint for custody. At an adjudicatory hearing held on March 28, 2007, the juvenile court adjudged Munir a dependent child and held an immediate dispositional hearing.
{¶ 4} The juvenile court found that appellants had a history of domestic violence, substance abuse, unstable housing, unstable income, and mental health problems, which were ongoing and had not been resolved by services offered or suggested to appellants by LCCS or other service providers. Specifically, the court found that father was extremely abusive of mother, who he blamed for losing custody of the other children, and had unresolved anger management problems; appellants' relationship was ongoing, although they attempted to disguise their involvement; father tested positive for marijuana in June 2006; appellants failed to maintain stable housing since LCCS's involvement in 2003; neither parent had any visible means of support; and father was repeatedly incarcerated, *Page 3 most recently in January 2007, for receiving stolen property. The juvenile court also found, since LCCS's original involvement in 2003, that LCCS assisted the family in obtaining housing, but that they were later evicted; and that appellants had not resolved the issues that led to the termination of parental rights of the other children, continued to minimize or deny the problems leading to the loss of permanent custody of their other children, and failed to complete case plan services previously implemented.
{¶ 5} The juvenile court found by clear and convincing evidence that, pursuant to R.C.
{¶ 6} Appellants appeal the April 20, 2007 judgment of the juvenile court and raise the following assignments of error:
{¶ 7} "1. The trial court erred in finding that the Lucas County Children Services Board had made a reasonable effort to reunify the minor child with appellants.
{¶ 8} "2. The trial court erred in granting Lucas County Children Services Board's motion for permanent custody as it was against the manifest weight of the evidence to grant it."
{¶ 9} R.C.
{¶ 10} In this case, the juvenile court found that the following sections of R.C.
{¶ 11} "(1) Following the placement of the child outside the child's home and notwithstanding reasonable case planning and diligent efforts by the agency to assist the parents to remedy the problems that initially caused the child to be placed outside the home, the parent has failed continuously and repeatedly to substantially remedy the conditions causing the child to be placed outside the child's home. In determining whether the parents have substantially remedied those conditions, the court shall consider parental utilization of medical, psychiatric, psychological, and other social and rehabilitative services and material resources that were made available to the parents for the purpose of changing parental conduct to allow them to resume and maintain parental duties. * * *
{¶ 12} "(4) The parent has demonstrated a lack of commitment toward the child by failing to regularly support, visit, or communicate with the child when able to do so, or by other actions showing an unwillingness to provide an adequate permanent home for the child; * * *
{¶ 13} "(11) The parent has had parental rights involuntarily terminated pursuant to this section or section
{¶ 14} "(13) The parent is repeatedly incarcerated, and the repeated incarceration prevents the parent from providing care for the child.
{¶ 15} "(14) The parent for any reason is unwilling to provide food, clothing, shelter, and other basic necessities for the child or to prevent the child from suffering physical, emotional, or sexual abuse or physical, emotional, or mental neglect. * * *
{¶ 16} "(16) Any other factor the court considers relevant."
{¶ 17} Appellants argue in their first assignment of error that the trial court erred in finding that, pursuant to R.C.
{¶ 18} With respect to Munir, LCCS requested that the it not be required to make reasonable efforts to prevent the removal of the child from the child's home, eliminate the continued removal of the child from the child's home, and return the child to the child's home because appellants previously lost permanent custody of Munir's older siblings. R.C.
{¶ 19} In this case, appellants previously lost permanent custody of three older siblings of this minor child. Although case plan services were offered to and suggested by LCCS to remedy the problems which led to the loss of permanent custody of the older siblings, including domestic violence, substance abuse, unstable housing, unstable income, and mental health problems, the juvenile court found that appellants "did not complete case plan services prior to losing permanent custody of their children, and they did not engage in services to resolve their problems at a later time." Thus, at the time of Munir's birth and disposition hearing, the same problems persisted that had caused appellants to previously lose their parental rights.
{¶ 20} Accordingly, we find that the trial court properly determined that LCCS was not required to make reasonable efforts to prevent the removal of the child from the child's home, eliminate the continued removal of the child from the child's home, and return the child to the child's home. See R.C.
{¶ 21} Appellants argue in their second assignment of error that the trial court erred in granting LCCS's motion for permanent custody because its decision was against the manifest weight of the evidence. Specifically, because no case plan services were offered to them in this case, appellants assert that LCCS failed to establish that it made reasonable efforts to prevent the removal of the child from the child's home, eliminate the continued removal of the child from the child's home, and return the child to the child's home. Appellants also assert that "insufficient time was afforded to them in which to complete all of the prior services which had been provided to them, so that they could fully remedy the conditions which initially caused the removal."
{¶ 22} As discussed above, appellants were involved with LCCS since 2003, but continuously failed to remedy the issues which led to the loss of permanent custody of their older children by the time of this minor's disposition hearing in March 2007. Nevertheless, we note that only one of the factors in R.C.
{¶ 23} The juvenile court held that LCCS established by clear and convincing evidence the factors listed in R.C.
{¶ 24} Accordingly, we find that there was clear and convincing evidence supporting the juvenile court's award of permanent custody to LCCS and find that the decision of the juvenile court was not against the manifest weight of the evidence. Appellants' second assignment of error is therefore found not well-taken.
{¶ 25} Upon consideration whereof, we affirm the judgment of the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile Division. Appellants are ordered to pay the costs of this appeal pursuant to App.R. 24. Judgment for the clerk's expense incurred in preparation of the record, fees allowed by law, and the fee for filing the appeal is awarded to Lucas County. *Page 10
JUDGMENT AFFIRMED.
A certified copy of this entry shall constitute the mandate pursuant to App.R. 27. See, also, 6th Dist.Loc.App.R. 4.
Peter M. Handwork, J., William J. Skow, J., Thomas J. Osowik, J., Concur. *Page 1
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