In the Matter of the Termination of the Parental Rights of Jane (2014-23) DOE. Idaho Department of Health & Welfare, Petitioner-Respondent, v. Jane (2014-23) Doe, Respondent-Appellant.
No. 42529.
Supreme Court of Idaho, Boise
January 23, 2015
342 P.3d 632
timony. The district court answered the question by instructing the members of the jury to rely on their own memories as to what the witnesses testified. However, the witness testimony that may have corroborated Defendant‘s testimony had been excluded. In addition, the State had the lead detective testify that there were interviews of Decedent‘s friends regarding her “activities and potential sexual practices,” but he did not testify that two of her friends who were interviewed confirmed that Decedent enjoyed erotic asphyxiation. The jury could have assumed that none of her friends that were interviewed would support that contention. The State has failed to demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt that the constitutional error in excluding the proffered evidence did not affect the jury‘s verdict in this case. We must therefore vacate the jury‘s verdict and judgment and remand this case for further proceedings.
III.
Conclusion.
We vacate the jury verdict and judgment and remand this case for further proceedings.
Chief Justice BURDICK, Justice J. JONES, and Justices Pro Tem SCHROEDER and KIDWELL concur.
Honorable Lawrence G. Wasden, Attorney General, Boise, for respondent.
J. JONES, Justice.
Jane Doe appeals from an order terminating her parental rights to her son, TSD. Because TSD is an “Indian child” as that term is defined by the Indian Child Welfare Act, the magistrate court was required to make findings in addition to those required by Idaho law. Among other findings, the Department of Health and Welfare (“DHW“) was required to satisfy the court that it made “active efforts” to “prevent the breakup of the Indian family.” On appeal, Doe argues
I.
FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY
TSD was removed from Jane Doe‘s custody on April 14, 2012, when an officer responded to a call reporting a toddler left unattended in a trailer court. The officer recognized the child as TSD, then two years old, from previous calls to Doe‘s residence. When the officer returned TSD to Doe, he discovered that Doe and three minors were intoxicated.1 According to the officer, Doe admitted to being intoxicated, expressed concern that she had a problem with alcohol abuse, and stated that she needed treatment. The officer took TSD into custody pursuant to the Child Protective Act,
DHW submitted an extensive case plan with the goal of reunifying TSD with his parents. That plan was endorsed by the court in a case plan order on June 7, 2012. The plan called for Doe to complete substance abuse treatment, a mental health evaluation, and parenting classes, and to abide by the terms of her probation, attend TSD‘s medical and therapy appointments, and regularly attend visitation with TSD.
Approximately a year later, in June of 2013, the State petitioned the magistrate court to terminate the parental rights of Doe and TSD‘s father on the recommendation of DHW and TSD‘s guardian ad litem. The guardian ad litem noted that Doe “continued [to] rel[y] on alcohol,” “has not made any significant progress on her Case Plan, has failed to attend [TSD‘s] treatment appointments, and [has] fail[ed] to attend many of the scheduled visits with [TSD]....” DHW likewise claimed that Doe had not resolved her addiction to alcohol and had not completed treatment for substance abuse; failed to secure a mental health evaluation, despite a referral to do so; was not consistently attending TSD‘s medical and therapy appointments; was not consistently visiting TSD; did not have permanent housing or employment; and was in violation of parole with warrants out for her arrest.
The trial commenced on March 6, 2014, and the court heard testimony from fifteen witnesses over four days in March and April, after which the magistrate court granted the petition to terminate parental rights to TSD. The court found by clear and convincing evidence that TSD‘s parents neglected and abandoned him and that TSD‘s best interests would be served by terminating their parental rights. In addition, the court made findings required by ICWA. It found that DHW made “active efforts” to prevent the breakup of the family and found, by evidence beyond a reasonable doubt, that continued custody of TSD by Doe and TSD‘s father would likely result in serious emotional or physical harm to him.
The magistrate court entered judgment on October 2, 2014, and Doe filed a notice of appeal the next day. Doe does not dispute the magistrate court‘s finding that she neglected and abandoned TSD, or its finding that Doe‘s continued custody of TSD would likely result in serious emotional or physical harm to him. Doe argues only that the magistrate court erred in concluding that DHW made active efforts to prevent the breakup of the family and that the magistrate court should have, but did not, make such a finding by clear and convincing evidence.
ISSUES ON APPEAL
- Whether the magistrate court erred by failing to apply the clear and convincing evidence standard to its finding that the State made active efforts to prevent the breakup of the family.
- Whether the magistrate court‘s finding that the State made active efforts to prevent the breakup of the family is supported by substantial and competent evidence.
III.
DISCUSSION
A. Standard of Review and Applicable Law
Pursuant to
“On appeal, this Court will not disturb the magistrate court‘s decision to terminate parental rights if there is substantial, competent evidence in the record to support the decision.” Doe v. Doe, 150 Idaho 46, 49, 244 P.3d 190, 193 (2010). Substantial, competent evidence is “such relevant evidence as a reasonable mind might accept as adequate to support a conclusion.” Welch v. Cowles Pub. Co., 127 Idaho 361, 365, 900 P.2d 1372, 1376 (1995). This Court must “conduct an independent review of the magistrate court record, but must draw all reasonable inferences in favor of the magistrate court‘s judgment, as the magistrate court has the opportunity to observe witnesses’ demeanor, to assess their credibility, to detect prejudice or motive and to judge the character of the parties.” Doe, 150 Idaho at 49, 244 P.3d at 193 (internal quotation marks omitted). “Whether the trial court correctly applied ICWA to the facts of this case is a question of law and is subject to free review by this Court.” Matter of Baby Boy Doe, 127 Idaho 452, 456, 902 P.2d 477, 481 (1995). “[T]he trial court‘s finding of adequate remedial efforts [required by the ICWA] must be supported by substantial and competent evidence to endure on appeal.” Id. at 458, 902 P.2d at 483.
B. The magistrate court found that DHW made active efforts to prevent the breakup of the family as required by the ICWA.
Doe argues that while the magistrate court was satisfied that DHW made active efforts
Contrary to Doe‘s assertion, the magistrate court purported to make its finding with respect to active efforts by clear and convincing evidence. The court stated that “[t]his court is satisfied that active efforts were made by the Department in this case to provide remedial services and rehabilitative programs designed to prevent the breakup of the Indian family and that these efforts were unsuccessful.” That finding is one on a list of conclusions reached by the court, which list is preceded by the statement that “[t]he court reaches the following conclusions by clear and convincing evidence.”
Even so, the magistrate court was not required to find by clear and convincing evidence that DHW made active efforts to prevent the breakup of the family. “When the State intervenes to terminate the parent-child relationship, the requisites of due process must be met. This requirement necessitates the State prove the grounds for terminating a parent-child relationship by clear and convincing evidence.” In re Doe, 143 Idaho 343, 345, 144 P.3d 597, 599 (2006) (citations omitted). The grounds for termination are the conditions in
The ICWA also does not require that the finding with respect to active efforts be made by clear and convincing evidence. This Court considered the evidentiary standard governing
Subsections (e) and (f) establish evidentiary standards for foster care placement or termination of parental rights. As introduced, H.R. 12533 required a “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard for both actions. While the committee feels that the removal of a child from the parents is a penalty as great, if not greater, than a criminal penalty, it amended the bill to reduce the standard to “clear and convinc-ing”
in the case of foster care where parental rights are not terminated.
H.R. REP. 95-1386, at 22 (1978), reprinted in 1978 U.S.C.C.A.N. 7530, 7545. “Congress displayed considered precision in articulating the evidentiary burdens it was imposing.” Matter of Baby Boy Doe, 127 Idaho at 458, 902 P.2d at 483. The fact that Congress carefully calibrated the evidentiary standard in subsection (e) to provide for a clear and convincing evidence standard, but provided no similar standard in subsection (d), suggests that Congress did not intend to require that courts make a finding with respect to active efforts by clear and convincing evidence.
C. There is substantial and competent evidence to support the magistrate court‘s finding that DHW made active efforts to prevent the breakup of the family.
Doe argues that the magistrate court erred in finding that “active efforts have been made to provide remedial services and rehabilitative programs designed to prevent the breakup of the Indian family....”
“[T]he types of remedial and rehabilitative services to be required under subsection (d) depend on the facts of each case.” Matter of Baby Boy Doe, 127 Idaho at 459, 902 P.2d at 484. “The term active efforts, by definition, implies heightened responsibility compared to passive efforts.” In re A.N., 325 Mont. 379, 106 P.3d 556, 560 (2005). “[A]s opposed to passive efforts such as simply developing a plan for the parent to follow, active efforts require that the state actually help the parent develop the skills required to keep custody of the children.” Idaho Dep‘t of Health & Welfare v. Doe, 152 Idaho 797, 805, 275 P.3d 23, 31 (Ct.App.2012) (quoting Dashiell R. v. State, Dep‘t of Health & Soc. Servs., Office of Children‘s Servs., 222 P.3d 841, 849 (Alaska 2009)).
There is substantial and competent evidence to support the magistrate court‘s finding that DHW made active efforts to prevent the breakup of the family. The State arranged for weekly supervised visits with TSD that would give the parents the opportunity for feedback with regard to the challenges they faced in caring for him, but Doe discontinued participation in the visitation sessions. TSD was enrolled in a form of individual counseling specifically designed to strengthen his relationship with his parents and Doe was encouraged to participate, but attended only a handful of times. TSD was scheduled for regular medical and therapeutic appointments for the purpose of understanding and addressing his developmental delays, but Doe never attended more than a few. DHW arranged for Doe to take parenting classes, but she dropped out and did not return. Finally, DHW arranged for Doe to participate in multiple drug and alcohol treatment programs and, though Doe completed one such program, she eventually dropped out of another and resumed her regular abuse of alcohol.
In Matter of Baby Boy Doe, this Court upheld a finding that active efforts were made to reunite a father with his child where “the father [was given] notice ... regarding his right to file a paternity claim for the child and an opportunity to indicate willingness to support the child“; the father was invited, but refused, “to attend counselling with a church social worker before the child‘s birth“; the State encouraged the father to support the child by initiating a wage withholding; and the father was provided with an attorney, but refused to participate in proceedings regarding his child. Matter of Baby Boy Doe, 127 Idaho at 458-59, 902 P.2d at 483-84. DHW made efforts at least as active as these.
In Matter of Baby Boy Doe, the Court emphasized as “most telling” that the father
Doe does not dispute any of this, but points to two alleged failures on the part of DHW as evidence that it failed to make active efforts as required by
DHW‘s alleged failings are overstated. Doe claims that she requested additional inpatient alcohol and substance abuse treatment in June of 2013 but was denied treatment by her DHW case worker. Doe‘s DHW case worker testified that, though Doe had been out of contact and unreachable for some time, Doe contacted her by text message on June 10, 2013, to request additional treatment. The case worker testified that she then contacted BPA to secure funding for the treatment. BPA responded that Doe “has to do some work” to establish additional funding for treatment and that Doe‘s case worker could not establish such funding without participation from Doe. The case worker then told Doe “she needed to take that responsibility. There was nothing that I could do.” The testimony does not make clear what “work” Doe was asked to do by BPA, but a report submitted to the court on June 28, 2013, by Doe‘s DHW case worker states that BPA asked Doe to complete an additional intake over the telephone. The evidence does not suggest that DHW simply refused additional treatment for Doe, but merely that DHW asked Doe to contact BPA to complete an intake and secure additional funding. According to Doe‘s case worker, DHW “wanted to get [Doe] back in [treatment].... [and] knew that was best for her,” but Doe did not contact BPA to secure the funding.
Next, Doe claims that TSD‘s foster mother interfered with DHW‘s efforts to reunite Doe with TSD. TSD‘s foster mother acknowledges that she objected to a DHW employee contacting a child care facility on behalf of Doe. She testified that she objected because she thought it was important for Doe to take responsibility for some of TSD‘s care and to contact the facility herself. TSD‘s foster mother also acknowledges telling Doe and TSD‘s father that if they would not attend TSD‘s therapy appointments consistently, then they should not attend at all. She claims that she did so because Doe and
Even assuming that DHW failed in the ways identified by Doe, one or two failures on the part of DHW do not entail wholesale failure with respect to the active efforts requirement. This Court must consider whether the State made active efforts to provide remedial services over the course of the proceeding as a whole, despite one or more alleged failings during particular periods. See, e.g., Dale H. v. State, Dep‘t of Health & Soc. Servs., 235 P.3d 203, 213-14 (Alaska 2010) (noting that though the state failed to provide remedial services during certain brief periods, it made active efforts “over the case as a whole“); In re Child of E.M.D., No. A04-157, 2004 WL 1728610, at *9 (Minn.Ct.App. Aug. 3, 2004) (unpublished) (holding that the “court must consider the efforts made throughout the course of the proceedings. Otherwise, any interruption in the provision of services, however brief or justified, would compel a determination that active efforts were not made“) (emphasis in original). Given the extensive efforts identified by the magistrate court over the proceeding as a whole, there is substantial and competent evidence to support its finding of active efforts even if DHW erred in the ways alleged by Doe.
IV.
CONCLUSION
We affirm the magistrate court‘s decision terminating Doe‘s parental rights and award costs on appeal to the Department of Health and Welfare.
Chief Justice BURDICK, and Justices EISMANN, W. JONES, and HORTON concur.