Los Angeles County Department of Children & Family Services v. Robert S.

—The sole contention on this appeal is that the juvenile court abused its discretion by delegating the determination of the details of visits by appellant Robert S. (Father) with his children to the children’s legal guardian. Father does not challenge the order granting guardianship. We will reverse the visitation order and remand for the trial court to specify the frequency and duration of visits.

BACKGROUND

There is a lengthy and tortured background regarding Father and his three children, but those facts are not pertinent to the issue on appeal. Suffice it to say that Father had been incarcerated and wanted to reestablish his relationship with his children. The children came to the attention of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) in October 2006, based on their living situation with their mother and stepfather.

In January 2007, the children were declared dependents of the court pursuant to Welfare and Institutions Code section 300, subdivisions (a) and (b). 1 Following numerous hearings and reviews of the situation, in April 2009, the juvenile court named Lorraine A. (Maternal Aunt) the children’s legal guardian, pursuant to…