In re T.W. CA2/8

BACKGROUND

1. Overview of Proceedings This dependency proceeding began in May 2020, nearly two-and-a-half years ago, when T.W. was 18 months old. She was detained from mother for a litany of reasons following a report that mother, while intoxicated, threw T.W. onto a tile floor during an argument with a third party. The court placed T.W. in foster care. The court denied reunification services to parents. As to mother, the court noted her history of drug use and unsuccessful participation in treatment programs. As to father, his incarceration was scheduled to continue for the duration of the statutory reunification period. T.W.’s foster parents expressed interest in adopting T.W. The court terminated parental rights and ordered adoption by her foster parents as T.W.’s permanent plan. 2. Facts Relevant to ICWA Inquiry The Department filed a form Indian child inquiry attachment (ICWA-010(A)) to the petition reflecting that it

2 questioned mother in May 2020 about possible Indian ancestry and she responded that T.W. has no known Indian ancestry. On August 13, 2020, mother filed an unsigned form parental notification of Indian status (ICWA-20) with the box corresponding to “I…