In re Ne.L. CA6

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

The children in the underlying dependency proceedings are Ne.L. (born 2009), No.L. (born 2010), and Na.L. (born 2015).2 Mother challenges only the orders concerning Na.L., whose presumed father is deceased.

A. Events Leading Up to Dependency Proceedings Commencing in 2013, the Department received multiple referrals regarding the safety of all three children in Mother’s care. The Department took no action on these referrals, which were evaluated, deemed inconclusive, or determined to be unfounded. In late 2022, the Department began receiving more frequent referrals from different sources expressing concerns about Mother’s mental health and its impact on the children. Mother also had a history of methamphetamine use. In August 2022, while in court with the children on an unrelated matter, an individual sent a referral to the Department describing Mother as “delusional” based on her statements, including claims that certain persons wanted to kill her and that her aunt was the governor of Florida. In December 2022, law enforcement officers responded to reports of a malfunctioned car facing the wrong way of traffic at a busy intersection.…