H.M.

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND3

Fourteen-year-old A.V.M. and eleven-year-old J.P.M were adjudged dependents of the juvenile court in November 2019 following a report that A.V.M., who was developmentally delayed, was being sexually abused by Father. The abuse allegations dated back to 2018. When A.V.M. reported the abuse to Mother, Mother did not believe A.V.M. Mother continued to deny the allegations of abuse even after the Department filed the section 300 petition and the juvenile court detained the children. Following the juvenile court’s order, Mother began to participate in reunification services. Mother completed a mental health assessment and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. During the assessment, Mother denied responsibility for the removal of her children and blamed her eldest daughter for making allegations of sexual abuse. Mother started her parent education course in January 2020 but would not tell the social worker what she had learned from the course and did not provide a certificate of completion for the course. Mother also joined the parent education group in 2020; however, her participation was minimal, and…