In re A.T. CA4/2

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL SUMMARY

A. Detention, Jurisdiction, and Disposition

Mother’s child Se. was born in April 2010, and placed in the neonatal intensive

care unit (NICU) of the hospital. Hospital staff noted that Se. “‘appear[ed] to be

experiencing withdrawal symptoms’” and that Mother “‘never seemed to bond with the

baby.’” Se. tested positive for methamphetamine.

At the time of Se.’s birth, Mother had custody of her children A. (four years old)

and So. (22 months old). At that time, the children were living with a maternal aunt and

maternal great-aunt.

A social worker and a police officer went to Mother’s residence, where she lived

with her mother. She denied using any methamphetamine while pregnant. She also

1 All further statutory references are to the Welfare and Institutions Code unless otherwise indicated.

2 denied more recent use. However, when the police officer conducted a field sobriety test

on her and found her under the influence of a controlled substance, she admitted using

methamphetamine earlier that day. The social worker informed Mother that Se., So., and

A. would be placed into protective custody because of her substance abuse and…