B.L.

Orange County Social Services Agency v. B.L.

Good Law
115 Cal. Rptr. 3d 560·188 Cal. App. 4th 138·2010 Cal. App. LEXIS 1537
Court of Appeal of CaliforniaAugust 11, 2010No. G043221California2,551 words

Opinion

lead Opinion

Bedsworth, J.

B.L., the presumed father of A., appeals from the dispositional order in this dependency case. The court, after declaring A. a dependent of the juvenile court, ordered her returned to the custody of her mother—with whom she resided prior to the initiation of the dependency case—and the provision to B.L. of what the social worker referred to as family “enhancement” services. B.L. argues the court erred in failing to order he be provided with reunification services. He requests we reverse the order and remand the case with directions to issue a new dispositional order specifying he be provided with those reunification services. We will not.

Because parental custody of A. was not disrupted by the dispositional order, and she was not placed in foster care, there is no current need to “reunify” this family. Instead, the goal of this dependency proceeding is simply to “eliminate[e] the conditions or factors requiring court supervision.” (Welf. & Inst. Code, § 364, subd. (b).) 1 Consequently, the court in this case had discretion to “direct any and all reasonable orders to the parents or *141 guardians of the child who is the subject of any proceedings under this chapter as the…

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