In re L.V. CA1/5

BACKGROUND

A.

In February 2022, the juvenile court sustained dependency petitions on behalf of each of the six children, finding true allegations that they were at substantial risk of physical harm and serious emotional damage due to the parents’ substance abuse, domestic violence, physical abuse, untreated mental health issues, and failure to provide medical treatment. (§ 300, subds. (b), (c).) The Indian Child Inquiry Attachment (Judicial Council Forms, form ICWA-010(A)) attached to the dependency petition indicated that L.V., B.V., and A.V. “may have Indian ancestry” based on Mother’s statement that she has “ ‘[h]eavy Native American ancestry’ ” but was not enrolled in any tribe.

The family originally came to the attention of the Department, in January 2022, on a report of neglect. When the investigating social worker responded to the rural property where the family was staying, she found broken-down vehicles, as well as piles of garbage, broken windows, sharp rusted metal objects, and hazardous chemicals strewn on the ground within reach of the children. The trailer Mother and her children were living in did not have running water, a toilet, or a septic…