San Bernardino County Children & Family Services v. Andrew J.

*681 Opinion

Andrew J., now 17 years old, became a dependent of the juvenile court in San Bernardino County in 2005. Since October 2010, he has resided with extended family members in Kem County, and his permanent plan is to remain with them until he reaches adulthood. Andrew has significant behavioral issues that threaten his successful transition to independent living as an adult. The San Bernardino County Juvenile Court attempted to transfer his case to Kem County so that he could receive vital services near home. The Kem County Juvenile Court, however, immediately transferred the case back to San Bernardino County based on its disagreement with the San Bernardino court’s findings regarding Andrew’s place of legal residence. This transfer took place on February 2, 2012, and Andrew’s ability to access services has been hampered for the past year.

This case is procedurally tangled. Kem County urges us to dismiss the appeal on nonsubstantive grounds. We decline to do so and conclude there is no obstacle that prevents this case from being decided now. The rejection of Andrew’s transfer to Kem County made by San Bernardino County was erroneous and we order it be reversed.

As we…