In re V.V. CA2/5

I. BACKGROUND

A. Investigation and Assumption of Dependency Jurisdiction V.V. was born in August 2008; D.V. was born in December 2009. The events that led to the dependency orders challenged in this appeal began in May 2018.1 A teacher at V.V.’s school reported to the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (the Department) that V.V. disclosed an uncle had been sexually

1 The children had been adjudicated dependents of the juvenile court on two previous occasions. In August 2012, the juvenile court sustained a dependency petition alleging the children were at risk based on their mother A.U.’s (Mother’s) history of mental and emotional problems and drug use, plus Father’s failure to protect them. In October 2014, the juvenile court sustained allegations based on both parents’ alcohol abuse as well as Mother’s history of mental and emotional problems and drug use. The children were released to Father in both cases, and he was granted sole physical and legal custody.

2 abusing her for years.2 V.V. discussed the abuse in detail with a Department social worker. V.V. said she mentioned the abuse to D.V. about a year earlier, but D.V. could not recall what she…