Sacramento County Department of Health & Human Services v. Inez H.

Inez H., maternal great-aunt and former guardian of the minor, appointed by the probate court, appeals from orders of the juvenile court terminating the probate guardianship. (Welf. & Inst. Code, § 395.) 1 Appellant contends the juvenile court acted in excess of its jurisdiction in terminating the guardianship due to lack of proper notice and improper procedure. We shall affirm.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

Appellant was appointed probate guardian of the two-year-old minor in September 2004. Within months, the minor was hospitalized with severe head injuries inflicted while in the guardian’s care, and the Sacramento County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) filed a petition to detain the minor. In August 2005, the court ordered reunification services for the guardian, who failed to complete her case plan and reunify with the minor. The court terminated services in February 2006, and set a section 366.26 hearing.

Reports for the hearing concluded the minor currently was not adoptable due to her mild mental retardation, developmental delays and behavioral problems, and that the minor should continue in long-term foster care in her current placement, which met her…