In re J.M. CA6

I. Background

The mother‟s three children, five-year-old Jo.M., three-year-old Ja.M., and eight- month-old H.R. (the children),were detained in August 2010. Petitions were filed alleging that the mother‟s chronic ongoing substance abuse placed the children at risk of physical harm and neglect in her care. The mother had not been caring for the children. Instead, she had left the children in the care of the children‟s great-grandparents, who 1 were too aged and ill to care for them. The mother had an ongoing and long-standing methamphetamine habit. The fathers of the children were both incarcerated. The eldest child reported that “he does not see [the mother] a lot,” even though she lived with the great-grandparents. The maternal grandmother reported that she and the maternal great-grandparents had been taking care of the children “since they were born,” with the great-grandparents providing “most of the care.” The great-grandparents “didn‟t get any help from” the mother. The mother and both fathers submitted on the social worker‟s report at the October 2010 jurisdictional hearing, and the court found the petition true. At the December 2010 dispositional hearing, the court removed…