E.R.

BACKGROUND

On the day S.R. was born, in June 2014, the Department received a referral that mother had given birth to him, and that she had severe untreated mental health issues that led to the removal of an older child and mother’s loss of custody of that child. S.R. was on a hospital hold until he was detained and placed in foster care. In its petition, the Department gave notice that it may ask the court to order no reunification services pursuant to Welfare and Institutions Code section 361.5. Mother had previously given birth to twins. N.C. survived but the other twin was stillborn. Mother’s ensuing depression led to the detention of N.C. In that case, the court sustained allegations concerning mother’s debilitating mental health issues and her failure to take prescribed psychotropic medication. The court ordered reunification services, but mother failed to reunify with N.C. Dependency jurisdiction over N.C. terminated with

2 orders granting physical and legal custody to N.C.’s father, with mother to have monitored visits. S.R. has a different father, who is not a party to this appeal. On July 21, 2014, at the jurisdiction hearing in this case, mother pled no contest to…