In re J.E. CA2/1

BACKGROUND

I. The dependency court acquires jurisdiction over the Child

The Child, his mother and his younger siblings (Sister and Brother) came to DCFS’s attention in September 2012 due to reports that Mother had physically abused the Child (at the time, age 10) by hitting him with her hands and a belt.2 In an interview

1 Allfurther statutory references are to the Welfare and Institutions Code unless otherwise indicated. 2 InDecember 2011, DCFS received a law enforcement referral regarding allegations against the Child’s father (Father) for domestic abuse in the home and physical abuse of the Child. No charges were brought against Father and the family agreed to a Voluntary Family Maintenance (VFM) case. In September 2012, Mother had “fully complied” with the recommended VFM case plan and programs. In September 2012, Father lived in Florida and had been doing so since February 2012.

2 with a DCFS social worker, Mother admitted to hitting the Child but explained that she did so because she suspected the Child of sexually abusing his Brother (at the time, age 5)—Mother had discovered the Child touching his erect penis to Brother’s buttocks while in the shower. Before this…