In re T.P. CA2/5

BACKGROUND

1. The Family T.P. and E.P. were born in November 2018 and May 2020, respectively. E.P. was about six months old at the time of the incident which gave rise to this action. Mother, father, and the children lived together in the back house of a two-home property. The children’s maternal grandparents and aunt B.M. lived in the front house. Until the Department interceded, mother was the primary caretaker of the children. She does not work outside of the home. When mother was not with the children, father or their maternal grandmother took care of them. About twice a month, one of mother’s female cousins watched the children for about 30 minutes. 2. E.P. Sustains A Serious Injury that Appears to be the Result of Abuse On November 26, 2020, mother went to the gym and left the children in the care of father. Before she left, mother put E.P. to sleep in a bedroom. When father was first interviewed by a social worker, he said the child was sleeping in mother and father’s bedroom in the back house. But he subsequently told the police and a social worker that E.P. was sleeping in the maternal grandparents’ bedroom in the front house. Father could not explain why he gave…