In re S.A. CA4/2

INTRODUCTION

Defendant and appellant R.H. (Mother) appeals the juvenile court’s order from a

September 11, 2023, dependency hearing. Though plaintiff and respondent Riverside

County Department of Public Social Services (the Department) recommended that

dependency jurisdiction over Mother’s daughter, respondent S.A. (Minor), be terminated,

the court rejected the recommendation and instead decided to retain jurisdiction for at

least six more months.

The court ordered continued jurisdiction over Minor due to concerns that she was

still at risk of harm from her parents’ abusive relationship dynamics. Mother argues this

concern was unwarranted and the evidence showed that, by the time of the review

hearing, “there was no indication . . . that [Minor] would be at any risk of harm if the

juvenile court terminated its jurisdiction.” Minor’s father, M.A. (Father), is not a party to

this appeal.

We conclude that the court’s order was supported by substantial evidence from

which it drew reasonable inferences. Specifically, the court reasonably inferred that

Minor was at a continued, substantial risk of serious physical harm based on: the parents’

2 long history of domestic…