San Mateo County Human Services Agency v. Ronnie M.
Opinion
lead Opinion
Jones, J.
We are asked to decide in this appeal whether the juvenile court exceeded its authority by directing that a particular social worker be assigned to the case, over the objection of the social worker’s employer, the San Mateo County Human Services Agency (SMHSA). We will modify the dispositional order.
FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
The Initial Dependency Petition
A petition was filed in May 2002 to make Angelo M., then 12 days old, and his 16-month-old sister, Ashley, dependents of the juvenile court based on allegations that Angelo had suffered multiple fractures in nonaccidental trauma while in his parents’ care. The petition, as amended, was sustained, the children were removed from parental custody, and reunification services were ordered for both parents, including supervised visits. The juvenile court gave SMHSA discretion to allow unsupervised visits as appropriate.
On December 24, 2002, Angelo was released to his parents for an overnight unsupervised visit. Ashley had already been released to parental *5 custody based on reports that the parents were complying with the reunification plan. On Christmas Day, the mother took Ashley to the home of relatives,…