In re A.H.

In the present dependency proceeding, minors A.H. and S.H. (the children) were declared dependents of the court. (Welf. & Inst. Code, § 300, subds. (a) & (b).) On April 16, 2012, after the 18-month review hearing, the juvenile court terminated family reunification services to F.S. (mother) and made an order setting a section 366.26 hearing for August 8, 2012. On August 3, 2012, the children’s parents, F.S. and S.H. (father), filed a timely notice of appeal from two rulings of the juvenile court: (1) the July 25, 2012 order denying mother’s motion to vacate a default judgment and (2) the June 19, 2012 order denying the parents’ modification motion to place the children with relatives (§ 388).

Parents now raise contentions not directly challenging the rulings from which they appeal. Mother makes the following arguments: (1) the juvenile court failed to inform mother of the writ requirements for challenging the order setting a section 366.26 hearing by mail as required, (2) the juvenile court failed to obtain a valid waiver of her right to counsel and, therefore, abused its discretion in granting her request to represent herself on February 16, 2012, and then the court…