In re A.H. CA2/1

BACKGROUND

The family consists of mother, now four-year-old A.H., and D.H. (father), A.H.’s father, who is not a party to the appeal. Mother called the Department of Children and Family services (DCFS or the department) in October 2018 and asked that the department take custody of then eight-month-old A.H., stating she was homeless and unable to care for him. Mother reported she had no immediate family, and a maternal uncle and paternal relatives did not want to care for the child. When social workers met mother at her motel, she told them A.H. was in the lobby, and began to walk away. The social workers observed A.H. was healthy, and spoke with mother, who said she was “in a bad situation” and homeless, and could not care for the child. Mother said that father, who

2 suffered from schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), had left a week earlier. Mother was uninterested in a family shelter where she could stay with A.H., or in any other plan that would keep the child with her, and signed an affidavit “giving consent DCFS custody of my child [A.H.] until I find stable housing and job.” A social worker spoke with the father by phone, who said mother was out to get…