In Re Roger S.

Roger S. appeals from the juvenile court order terminating jurisdiction over his son, also named Roger, ordering the previously existing monitored visitation arrangement to remain in effect, and directing the order to be filed in the existing superior court file dealing with the parents’ dissolution of marriage. He claims the court improperly refused to hear evidence regarding proposed modifications of the existing orders, instead limiting the hearing solely to the need for continuing jurisdiction. We find the contentions meritorious and reverse.

I

Roger S. and Rhonda C. are the parents of Roger, who was born in August 1985. Roger S. was in a car accident in 1984 and suffered head injuries, resulting in violent and erratic behavior requiring hospitalization and treatment. This situation led to the parents’ separation and eventual divorce in 1987.

After the divorce, the parties bitterly disputed the father’s visitation rights. The family court ordered monitored visits due to the father’s mental condition and potential risk to the child. The parties were unable to afford a paid monitor, however, so the visits were attended by two unpaid relatives, one chosen by each…