In re Joshua R. CA1/4

I. BACKGROUND

Joshua R., the minor who is the subject of these proceedings, first came to the attention of the San Francisco County Children’s Services Agency (Agency) in October 2011, when he was six years old. At that time, Joshua was living with his father and step-mother in a San Francisco homeless shelter. In the early hours of October 15, 2011, John R. and his wife got into an argument in front of Joshua, apparently involving the family’s sleeping arrangements. According to John, the shelter had put a mattress on the floor for Joshua, but he did not want his son to sleep on the floor due to the minor’s allergies. John became increasingly agitated, yelling and making threats. In particular, he reportedly told shelter staff that they had “ ‘[b]etter call CPS because I’m going to drive my car with my son to the bridge and flip it.’ ”1 In fact, John became so distressed during the incident that he broke his hand when he hit an object. The police were called, and John was transported to San Francisco General Hospital and placed on a brief psychiatric hold pursuant to section 5150 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.2 After the altercation, the minor’s step-mother took the…