R.C.

INTRODUCTION

R.C. (Mother) seeks writ review of an order terminating reunification services at the conclusion of the 18-month review hearing for her two-and-a-half year old child and the setting of a hearing for a permanent plan for the child. (Cal. Rules of Court, rule 8.452; Welf. & Inst. Code, § 366.26.)1 Mother challenges the findings that reasonable services were provided by respondent San Francisco Human Services Agency (Agency). Specifically, she argues the Agency did not provide her with the “intensive” individual therapy required in her service plan, but allowed therapy to dwindle to once per month for five months of the reunification period. She contends that in the absence of reasonable services, the court erred in terminating services at the 18-month review 1 Unless otherwise indicated, all statutory references are to the Welfare and Institutions Code and all rule references are to the California Rules of Court.

1 hearing (held 23 months after the dependency was initiated) and abused its discretion in ignoring the exceptional circumstances of the case warranting continuing the 18-month review to provide more time for a special needs parent to reunify. We shall…