County of Santa Barbara v. Diane E.

*272 Opinion

Appeal from a juvenile court disposition order in a case filed under Welfare and Institutions Code section 300, subdivision (a). 1 Appellant, who is the mother of the dependent minor in this matter, argues a twofold abuse of discretion by the court in that: (1) it failed to order reunification services and referred the child for permanency planning, despite the statutory mandate that the court order such services, and (2) it restricted appellant’s visitation with the child to one supervised visitation per month, despite the statutory mandate that limitations on parental control not exceed those necessary to protect the child. (§ 361.) We find that the applicable law requires the juvenile court to order reunification services in this case and reverse.

Appellant has an extensive history of psychiatric problems. She has been hospitalized for treatment and evaluation numerous times over the past 12 years. Her mental disorder has been diagnosed as schizophrenia, paranoid type. Since 1980, appellant’s conduct has taken on a criminal dimension. She has been arrested repeatedly on a variety of charges: vandalism, disturbing the peace, trespassing, burglary, petty theft,…