In re Bethany W. CA4/3

FACTS

Bethany was four years old in May 2011 when she was found by Orange County Social Services Agency (SSA) living with her mother in a living environment where the mother urinated and defecated on the floor in the bedroom that she and the child shared. The mother had a diagnosis of major depression. The social worker’s report states: “The carpeted floor is saturated and wet with urine and there were four to five areas encrusted with human feces. The bedroom has a very strong odor of human urine and feces. The mother prepares food and she and child eat in the same bedroom.” Bethany told the social worker her mother had taught her to urinate on the floor. The whereabouts of Bethany’s father were unknown. He was believed to be homeless. By July 2011, SSA had exhausted all available leads, but was not able to locate him. The juvenile court removed Bethany from the home after finding there was substantial danger to her physical and emotional health, and declared her a dependent of the juvenile court under Welfare and Institutions Code section 360, subdivision (d). (All further statutory references are to the Welfare and Institutions Code.) At first, she was detained at an emergency…