In re Y.S. CA1/4

I. BACKGROUND

This family’s dependency proceedings involve the removal of four young siblings from Father’s custody. The ages of the children at disposition were ten, for J.M., a boy; five, for Y.S., a girl; nineteen months, for I.S., a boy; and two months, for D.S., an infant girl. C.Q. (Mother) is the biological parent of all four. Father is the biological parent of the youngest three, and the stepfather of J.M. When the case arose, Father and Mother (then pregnant with D.S.) were unwed but living together and raising J.M., Y.S. and I.S. in one household as a family unit. Normally, Father stayed home and took care of the children, while Mother worked full-time. A. The report from J.M.’s school The Contra Costa County Children and Family Services Bureau (Bureau) opened an investigation after receiving a report that J.M. arrived at his elementary school one day in January 2014 with his left index finger and hand extremely swollen and bruised. Two days earlier, J.M.’s teacher had written his name on the blackboard at school for throwing raisins at another student. When J.M.’s teacher reported the raisin-throwing incident to Father at the end of the school day, she tried to…