In re Sophia C. CA2/1

BACKGROUND

Father and mother met in July 2019 and became romantically involved around October 2019. Sophia was born in July 2020. Mother and father did not live together. Mother lived with her mother, stepfather, and minor siblings, and father lived with his uncle and other relatives. The two did not visit inside each other’s homes. And father’s infrequent visits with Sophia happened in an area outside mother’s apartment; mother was always present for the entirety of father’s visits with Sophia. Sophia came to DCFS’s attention as the result of a probation compliance check in October 2020 at the home where father was living. Father’s uncle was on probation, and during their probation check, officers discovered methamphetamine in father’s bedroom. Officers also reported that father appeared to be under the influence of a controlled substance during their probation check. Father later told DCFS that he had been under the influence of Xanax and methamphetamine. When DCFS asked father if he was under the influence when he visited Sophia, he told DCFS that he used drugs (marijuana, Xanax and methamphetamine) every other day, and that he “was high the entire day, every day.” For her…