San Diego County Health & Human Services Agency v. Jamie P.

Jamie P. appeals the juvenile court’s order terminating jurisdiction after it placed her daughter, A.J., with A.J.’s biological and presumed father, Joshua S., in Hawaii. Jamie does not contest A.J.’s out-of-state placement with her father. She challenges only the trial court’s denial of her request to retain dependency jurisdiction. We affirm.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Initial Dependency Proceedings and Attempts to Locate A.J. ’s Natural Father

On October 26, 2011, the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency (Agency) filed a petition under Welfare and Institutions Code section 300, subdivision (b) 2 on behalf of then seven-year-old AJ. and her two half siblings, ages five and nine months, alleging that A.J.’s stepfather had applied excessive discipline by beating A.J. with a belt, including over scars from a recent surgery, and that her mother, Jamie, had been aware of this abuse but failed to protect her. 3 The family had several prior referrals to the Agency for *528 abuse of A.J. by her stepfather, one of which resulted in voluntary provision of services to Jamie and the stepfather in 2009. At the initial detention hearing, the juvenile court…