In re V.M. CA1/1

BACKGROUND

Mother has a history of substance abuse and relationships involving domestic violence. She admitted using methamphetamine when she was first pregnant with V.M. and, again, just a few weeks before V.M. was born. V.M. was detained and placed in foster care with her maternal grandmother shortly after birth in November 2022. After the Department filed a dependency petition based on these concerns, the court sustained the allegations in the petition on January 25, 2023, finding that V.M. was a minor described by section 300, subdivision (b)(1). The matter proceeded to a permanency planning hearing held on February 7, 2024. V.M. was permanently placed in guardianship with her maternal grandmother. The court declined to make any order at the hearing regarding visitation because the maternal grandmother had been facilitating visitation without a court order. After the grandmother told the court that V.M.’s parents were welcome to visit in her home, the court stated, “I’m not going to make any orders. In my experience, that sometimes can go sideways for many different reasons. So I have a grandmother, who has made the statement she made today, I’m confident that I’m not going…