In re J.H. CA4/2

BACKGROUND

A. Dependency

Defendants and appellants R.H. and J.S. are the mother and father, respectively, of

the three children who are the subject of this dependency: G.S. (born 2014), M.S. (born

2020) and J.H. (born 2022).

The family initially came to the department’s attention in June 2022, after a

referral alleging physical abuse. The department interviewed G.S. privately, and he

expressed that he felt safe around mother but not father. He said father sometimes hits

1 Undesignated statutory references are to the Welfare and Institutions Code. “In addition, because ICWA uses the term ‘Indian,’ we do the same for consistency, even though we recognize that other terms, such as ‘Native American’ or ‘indigenous,’ are preferred by many.” (In re Benjamin M. (2021) 70 Cal.App.5th 735, 739, fn. 1.)

2 him, including punching him in the face and hitting him with a belt. Indeed, he said

father hit him with a belt a few days earlier, and the department found a bruise on his left

leg near his hip. G.S. also told the department father hit M.S. on the bottom. When

interviewed, father admitted hitting G.S. with a belt. In response, the department made a

safety plan with…