Santa Clara County Social Services Agency /
Department Of Family And Children Services
373 W. Julian
San Jose, California 95110
Joe Social Worker
(408) 333-3333
DFCS No. D99999
SUPERIOR COURT of CALIFORNIA
COUNTY OF Santa Clara
115 Terraine Street, San Jose, California 95110Disposition REPORT
Hearing Date / Hearing Time / Dept./Room / Hearing Type/Subtype9/18/2004 / 08:30am / 70 / Disposition
In THE matter of
Name / Date of Birth / Age / Sex / Court Number
Hanna L. / 06/21/04 / 2 mo / F / JD55555
Summary recommendation
It is respectfully recommended that the child, Hanna L., be adjudged a dependent of the Court and that the mother be ordered to comply with services under the Family Reunification Program. It is further recommended that the Court order the mother to comply with a psychological evaluation.
CHILD’s whereabouts
Hanna continues to reside in a concurrent resource home.
Parents/Legal GuardiansName/
Birthdate / Address/
Phone / Relationship/
To Whom
Amy L.
07/06/1984 / 30 Madeup St.
San Jose, CA 95000
(408) 999-9999 / Mother/
Hanna
Herman L. / 30 Madeup St.
San Jose, CA 000
(408) 999-9999 / Presumed Father/
Amy L.
attorneys
Name / Address/
Phone / Representing
Anthony M. / 31 N. Second Street, Suite 335
San Jose, CA. 95113
(408)995-0442 / Amy L./
mother
indian Child welfare act status
The Indian Child Welfare Act does not apply. On 6/25/04, this worker inquired of Mrs. L. if there is any American Indian or Eskimo heritage in her family. Mrs. L. stated that there is none of which she is aware. The maternal grandmother confirmed this, on 7/23/04, during a telephone conversation with this social worker.
Search results/history
On 9/06/04, Mrs. L. telephoned this worker and informed her that a man named Johnny might be Hanna’s father, stating that he used to be her next door neighbor with whom she had sexual relations. She provided this worker with two phone numbers and stated that Johnny might be able to be located at one of the numbers. She did not have a current address for him nor did she know his last name. This worker telephoned both phone numbers, on 9/06/04. One number was disconnected. This worker phoned the other number, again, on 9/10/04. The person who answered said that no one by Johnny lived at that address and the person did not know of anyone named Johnny.
legal history300 WIC Subsection(s) (b)
Initial Removal 6/22/04 6/22/042/09/06 / Initial Detention Order 6/25/04 / Initial Jurisdiction Finding 7/13/04
Reason for hearing
The child, Hanna L., appears before the Court for a Dispositional Hearing. At a Jurisdictional Hearing, held on 7/13/04, the Court found the 300 petition filed on behalf of the child to be true and that the child comes within provisions of the Welfare and Institutions Code 300 (b). The matter was continued for receipt of paternity test results.
PATERNITY/LEGAL RELATIONSHIPS
The child’s presumed father, Herman L., had stated that he is not the biological father of the child. He submitted to a paternity test and the results of that test, received by this worker on 9/5/04, exclude Mr. L. as the biological father of Hanna. Please refer to the attached copy of the Parentage Study conducted by Geneta, Inc. On 9/8/04, Mr. L. signed a Statement Regarding Paternity in which he denies being the father of the child and requests to be excluded from all dependency proceedings.
The mother had stated that another man, Thomas P., was the father of Hanna. Mr. P. also cooperated with submitting to a paternity test. The results of that test, received by this worker on 8/29/04, exclude Mr. P. as the biological father of Hanna. Please refer to the attached copy of the Parentage Study by Long Beach Genetics.
After being told of the paternity test results, the mother informed this worker that there is another man who may be the father. Mrs. L. stated that had not previously disclosed his name as a possible father, because she did not think that he could be the father of the child. Please see Search Results section of this report for further details.
Social Study/Family Assessment
Problems Requiring Intervention and Possible Causes:
The problem requiring intervention is the mother’s seeming inability to adequately care for and supervise her infant daughter. It appears that she suffers from a mental health condition, which interferes with her everyday functioning.
Relevant Social, Cultural, and Physical Factors:
The mother, Amy. L. was born on 5/5/1978 in San Jose, Ca. She is the only child of Anna and Peter D. Mr. D. died in 1992, after a bout with cancer. Mrs. D. has not remarried and continues to live in San Jose. The mother attended Leland High School and graduated in 1996. She worked briefly at a mall Food Court after she graduated but has been unemployed since then. Her SS# is 123-45-6789. Medical records indicate that she has had repeated hospitalizations due to a mental health condition diagnosed by one psychiatrist as schizophrenia and another as a bi-polar disorder. She has been prescribed a variety of psychotropic medications with which she has intermittently complied. She currently does not take any medication. She receives monthly income through Social Security Disability Insurance (SSI). Refer to the attached copies of Mrs. L.’s mental health records from Kaiser Permanente.
By her own report, the mother has had numerous relationships with various men over the past four years. She met her current husband eight months ago, when she was pregnant with Hanna. He was aware of the pregnancy, and they married, on 4/8/04, in Reno, Nevada.
The presumed father, Mr. L. was born 3/3/66 in Damascus, Syria. He immigrated to the U.S. five years ago and has a green card. He works as a retail clerk at a small convenience store, which he owns with his brother. The remainder of his family lives in Syria. His marriage to Mrs. L. is his first marriage, and he has no other children.
Family Strengths:
The mother loves Hanna and she has a desire to be a better parent. She keeps her regular weekly visitation schedule. She has a very supportive husband who appears to love her very much. He is willing to support the child financially, though he acknowledges that he is not able to assumed full responsibility for her care and supervision. The mother does have an income through Social Security.
Family’s Perception of Their Needs:
It is unclear to this worker what the mother’s beliefs are regarding the needs of her family. She vacillates between stating that she cannot provide care for the child and stating that she can provide care and does not see any reason why the child should not be returned to her custody. The mother states that she can benefit from psychotherapy, but she has not begun participating in individual psychotherapy sessions. Mrs. L. appears to understand that psychotropic medication is necessary to alleviate the symptoms of her mental health condition, but she also states that she is only on the medication for financial purposes.
PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION
At the Jurisdictional Hearing, the mother was ordered to cooperate with a psychological evaluation.
This worker has scheduled two appointments with the court-appointed evaluator, and the mother
failed to show for either appointment.
Child
Regarding: Hanna
Medical:
· Hanna was born with a Cephalohematoma caused by the trauma of birth. Due to this condition, she has been closely monitored by Public Health Nurse Teresa F. and by doctors at Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital. At this time, Hanna’s cephalohematoma appears to be resolving. Please refer to the attached copy of the Case Management Evaluation Summary dated 08/10/04, written by Public Health Nurse, Teresa F. Please refer to the following attachments:
· Discharge Examination, dated 6/22/04, from Santa Clara Valley Medical Center
· Clinic-Progress Note NewBorn visit, dated 08/05/04, from Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital
Developmental:
On 8/22/04, this worker received a telephone call from the foster mother of the child. The foster mother stated that Hanna recently had a doctor’s visit and the doctor indicated that Hanna is within normal limits developmentally. The doctor noted that Hanna does have some tightness in her joints. The foster mother stated that the doctor indicated that if Hanna continues to experience tightness in her joints in January of next year, he will refer her to a neurologist for further examination.
Educational:
N/A
Mental & Emotional Status:
Hanna appears to have adjusted to her placement and is doing well. She is on regular formula, and takes 24 oz. a day. Her sleep cycle is about 4 hours in between feedings. She makes some vocalizations and “blows bubbles.”
CHILD’S SAFETY IN HOME
Due to her mother’s seeming inability to address her child’s needs and provide adequate care and comfort, Hanna is not safe in the home of her mother, at this time.
CONSIDERATION OF PLACEMENT WITH NON-CUSTODIAL PARENT
Hanna’s biological father is unknown.
CONSIDERATION OF RELATIVE PLACEMENTS
There are no relatives available for placement. This social worker spoke to the maternal grandmother, Mrs. D., on 6/26/04, to inquire as to a possible placement for Hanna in the grandmother’s home. Mrs. D. stated that she is unable to offer placement for the child. She cited health issues as well as concerns that the mother would not comply with limitations or restrictions on visitation.
Out Of Home Placement
Regarding: Hanna
Current Placement:
Hanna is currently placed in a concurrent foster home. The foster parents have stated that they
are willing to adopt Hanna, should reunification services not be successful. They are aware
that the mother suffers from some type of mental health condition, and there may be a genetic
proclivity for the infant to develop a similar condition in the future.
Sibling Placement:
Hanna does not have any siblings.
Independent Living Plan Services:
Hanna is an infant.
VISITATION
The mother continues to participate in weekly, supervised visitation with the child. She is appropriate during the visits, but it has been reported to this worker that she appears to be having some difficulty in learning the basic skills necessary to care for the baby. At each visit, the visitation supervisor has had to demonstrate for her how to hold, feed and change the baby. Mrs. L. beams at Hanna throughout the visit and it is apparent that she enjoys her visitation time with Hanna.
REASONABLE EFFORTS
Reasonable efforts provided by this worker include:
· Interviewing the mother and the presumed father
· Interview with the alleged father, Thomas P.
· Interview with the maternal grandmother to discuss, among other things, placement of the child with her
· Facilitated paternity test for Thomas P. and Herman L.
· Facilitated visitation between Hanna and the mother
· Interviews with hospital and mental health staff with regards to Mrs. L.
· Obtaining Mrs. L.’s mental health records
· Monitoring the child’s wellbeing in her current placement
· Providing the mother with referrals to parenting education and mental health service providers
CONCURRENT PLANNING
The mother was advised of the option to participate in adoption planning and to voluntarily relinquish the child for adoption, on 6/26/04. The mother stated that her intention is to use services to reunify with her daughter.
Assessment/Evaluation
Appearing before the court is 3-and-½-year-old Hanna L. who was determined by the court to come under provisions of W&I Code 300 (b). Her mother has been diagnosed as suffering from a mental health disorder and a psychological evaluation has been ordered for the mother to assess her current functioning. The child’s biological father is unknown, and her presumed father has signed a Statement Regarding Paternity in which he declined to participate in further dependency court proceedings. The child currently resides in a concurrent resource home. Besides being monitored for a condition, cephalohematoma, which seems to be resolving, she is making an adequate adjustment in her placement.
The mother is a willing parent and delights in seeing her child during visitation. She has shown for all of her weekly scheduled visits. She has enrolled in a program of parenting education and has completed two classes, to date. She continues to have the support of her husband. She remains cooperative in responding to this workers calls and showing for scheduled office and home visits.
Though Mrs. L. has many strengths, she has been unable to demonstrate that she is currently able to provide adequate care and supervision for her infant daughter. She has been diagnosed as suffering from a mental health condition, and, it appears that condition interferes with her ability to provide daily care for the child. She has little external supports, except for her husband, who states that he cannot provide care and supervision of the baby. Mrs. L.’s current diagnosis and parenting capacity is not known, but what is known is that she has had multiple psychiatric hospitalizations and various diagnoses. She has been provided with medication to treat some of these conditions, but she has been inconsistent in her compliance with her prescribed medication regimen. From Mrs. L.’s perspective, she has only been given mental health diagnoses so that she can receive State Disability funding, and she is not making a connection between her diagnosis and her inability to respond to her daughter’s needs. In order to assess the mother’s capacity to parent, now or in the foreseeable future, this worker has recommended that Mrs. L. participate in a psychological evaluation. The mother has not cooperated with participation in a psychological evaluation or with following through with referrals to counseling.
Given the above, the prognosis for reunification is poor, and this has been discussed with the mother. Further, it has been explained to her that, because Hanna is under three years old, the mother only has three months left to begin demonstrating that she is able to provide for Hanna’s care and supervision.
The recommendation is that the child be adjudged a Dependent of the Court with placement in her present emergency concurrent home. It is further recommended that the mother be provided with Family Reunification services to assist her in developing her parenting capacity.
ATTACHMENTS
The attachments identified in this report are attached hereto and incorporated herein by this reference.
Recommendation
Please refer to the attached Recommendations.
Respectfully Submitted,
Joe Social Worker, Social Worker III, C002, (408) 333-3333 / DateSam Social Work Supervisor, (408) 444-4444 / Date
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Disposition Report10/18/2004