In re Alexis C. CA1/5

BACKGROUND

In January 2012, Alexis (born February 2010) was detained by the juvenile court. In March, Mother pled no contest to allegations that (1) she placed Alexis at risk because

1 Father is Alexis’s natural father only. The juvenile court also terminated the parental rights of Alexis’s presumed father; he is not a party to this appeal.

1 of her domestic violence relationship with Father, and (2) she failed to provide adequate nutrition and medical care for Alexis, causing Alexis to be significantly underweight and resulting in a diagnosis of failure to thrive. At the jurisdiction hearing, the Contra Costa County Children and Family Services Bureau (Bureau) also noted receiving “multiple reports” that Mother was abusing pain medications she was prescribed for chronic pain. A subsequent report noted concerns raised by Father, the paternal grandmother of an older child of Mother’s, and Mother’s cousin, about Mother’s prescription drug abuse and resulting inability to adequately care for her children. Mother denied abusing prescription drugs. The juvenile court dismissed a substance abuse allegation in the petition and Mother agreed to submit to drug testing. At the May 2012…