In re M.R. CA3

BACKGROUND

M.R. is a young adult with severe disabilities. He is non-verbal, was diagnosed with autism, and functions at the level of an 18-month-old child. He is unable to care for himself and can only eat pureed or ground up food. M.R. qualifies for services from Alta California Regional Center, which contacts him through mother annually. Mother refused the center’s services because she believed it had mistreated M.R. on a prior occasion. Mother received money from the State of California to care for M.R. She also received an additional $500 from Social Security, presumably per month. M.R. had a history of 14 prior referrals to the Sacramento County Department of Health and Human Services (Department), starting in 2002 and increasing in frequency prior to his removal in July 2014. The Department disposed of the prior referrals as “inconclusive” or “evaluated out.” But the concerns were similar to the allegations of neglect in the present petition, including mother’s physical and mental illness or incapacity, her alleged substance abuse and alcoholism, her misusing Valium to make the children sleep during the day while she slept, the lack of adequate food and shelter, the filthy…