Orange County Social Services Agency v. Joseph B.

Joseph B. 1 appeals the juvenile court’s jurisdiction and disposition orders regarding his daughter, Joy M., contending: (1) the court improperly relied on a psychological evaluation report to deny family reunification services; (2) the court otherwise erred by denying such services; (3) the court should have allowed monitored telephone visitation between Joseph and Joy; and (4) insufficient evidence supported one of the grounds for the court’s jurisdictional finding. We affirm.

Joseph had a long history of paranoid schizophrenia, but his stepmother claimed he did “wonderfully” when he complied with his treatment. Joy’s mother, who had a history of mental illness and hospitalizations, disappeared when Joy was a baby. Cynthia B. became Joy’s babysitter, and within a short time she began to date Joseph. They eventually married, and the marriage lasted about seven years.

*14 The marriage was strained by Joseph’s mental illness, failure to take his medication regularly, drug and alcohol abuse, and sudden rages and domestic violence. Before the couple separated, Joseph’s inappropriate behavior increased, including the throwing and breaking of objects and assaultive behavior…