In re A.L. CA3

BACKGROUND

A.L was born in April 1993. She was adjudged a dependent of the juvenile court in 1998 and, after family maintenance services failed, placed in a foster home in 2000. Parental rights were terminated but A.L. was not adopted. In August 2007, she was placed with Shirley M., who agreed to provide her with a long-term foster home. A.L. has a learning disability, has low average intellectual skills, and was diagnosed in 2006 with generalized anxiety disorder. She worked with Shirley M. to learn independent living skills and began participating in a transitional independent living plan in March 2010. A.L. received special education assistance but remained behind in school throughout her education and was a sophomore in high school when she reached age 18. With the support of Shirley M., she intended to finish high school and attend college. On April 16, 2011, A.L. turned 18 years of age. On August 1, 2011, the Sacramento County Department of Health and Human Services (County) filed a request to terminate dependency jurisdiction. The request included the social worker’s sworn representations that A.L. was stably placed in a Foster Family Agency home where she had resided for…