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Filed 3/23/22 In re S.C.-O. CA1/4

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS

California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for 

publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or 

ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115. 

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

FIRST APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION FOUR

In re S.C.-O. et al., Persons Coming 

Under the Juvenile Court Law.

SAN FRANCISCO HUMAN 

SERVICES AGENCY,

Plaintiff and Respondent,

v.

J.O.,

Defendant and Appellant.

 A163066

 (San Francisco County

 Super. Ct. Nos. JD20-3175, 

 JD20-3175A)

J.O. (Mother) appeals the juvenile court’s order denying her 

modification petition pursuant to Welfare and Institutions Code section 388.1

She contends the court abused its discretion when it denied the petition 

without an evidentiary hearing. The allegations of Mother’s petition were

insufficient to warrant a further hearing, so we affirm. 

BACKGROUND

The background of the dependency proceedings through the jurisdiction 

and disposition hearing is set forth in our prior opinion, In re S.C. (Sept. 13, 

1 Further statutory citations are to the Welfare and Institutions Code

unless otherwise noted.
2

2021, A161711) [nonpub. opn.], incorporated here by reference, in which we 

affirmed orders declaring the children dependents of the juvenile court and 

placing them in their father’s home with family maintenance services for 

Father and supportive services for Mother. We briefly summarize.

In August 2020 the San Francisco Human Services Agency (Agency) 

detained 13-year-old S.C.-O.

2 and five-year-old J.C.-O. from Mother and 

placed them with Father after Mother physically abused E.C.-O. on at least 

one occasion while J.C.-O. was present in the home. (In re S.C., supra, 

A161711.) Father filed for divorce and obtained a three-year restraining 

order protecting himself and the children from Mother. Mother relocated to 

Canada, where she had family.

In November 2020 the juvenile court sustained allegations that the 

children had suffered or were at substantial risk of suffering serious physical 

harm or illness as a result of Mother’s failure to protect them (§ 300, 

subd. (b)), and that E.C.-O. was at risk of serious emotional damage (§ 300, 

subd. (c)). The children were placed with Father in the family home. E.C.-O.

did not want any contact with Mother. Mother was granted supervised 

visitation with both children, but visitation with E.C.-O. was not to take 

place until his therapist found it therapeutically appropriate. (In re S.C., 

supra, A161711.) 

2 S.C.-O. prefers to be called E.C.-O. and identifies as transmasculine 

with pronouns he/his/him. We will therefore use his preferred pronouns and 

refer to him as E.C.-O. We remind the Agency’s appellate counsel that, as 

directed by section 5:10 of the California Style Manual, “The identity of 

minors involved in juvenile court proceedings . . . should be protected both in 

the title and in the body of an opinion, generally by using the first name and 

last initial. . . . If the minor’s first name is so unusual as to defeat the 

objective of anonymity, only the minor’s initials should be used.” (Italics

added.) This is such a case.
3

Reports for Six-Month Status Review 

In its April 21, 2021 status report for the six-month review hearing, the 

Agency recommended that the children remain with Father with an 

additional six months of family maintenance services to help the family 

stabilize and address their mental health “as it relates to the trauma they 

have experienced.” 

Father and the children lived in a two-bedroom home in San Francisco. 

Father was successfully parenting the children, managing their schooling and 

appointments, and getting them the support they needed. He was working 

with multiple service providers to address E.C.-O.’s mental health and 

gender identity issues and to set rules and boundaries for him. Father had 

experienced depression in the past but did not have a mental health 

diagnosis and was doing well in individual therapy. He reported that his 

relationship with Mother had been intermittently violent for over 10 years. 

Mother began throwing objects about six years into their relationship, and 

her verbal and emotional abuse intensified about two years before the 

incidents that triggered the dependency proceedings, becoming physical and

“out of control” by 2019. 

Mother was seeking housing and employment in Montreal and taking a 

remote parenting class. She reported engaging in anger management 

services but had not verified her participation. In February 2021 Mother 

began weekly individual therapy but declined to authorize her therapist to 

discuss her diagnosis and treatment goals with the children’s social worker. 

Nonetheless, the therapist was able to disclose that Mother was becoming 

more open to sharing information. 

The social worker had difficulty speaking with Mother because “[o]n 

most occasions . . . [she] does not follow what [Mother] is trying to say. Some 
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of the communication barriers may also be related to [Mother’s] mental 

health, the stress of being away from her children, addressing her divorce, 

and working on stabilizing herself in a new place away from her children.” 

Mother was always willing to speak with the social worker, primarily about 

her wish to see her children in person, but she denied and minimized her 

actions. She was able to articulate appropriate parenting practices, but the 

social worker was still assessing Mother’s ability to put them into practice 

with E.C.-O.

In October 2020 the social worker referred E.C.-O. to Huckleberry 

Advocacy & Response Team (HART)

3 for general support, mental health 

services, and medical treatment related to gender-affirming care. In January 

2021 E.C.-O. told the social worker he had “Alters,” three alternative 

personalities that appeared as anime characters, and that he sometimes felt 

like harming himself. E.C.-O.’s therapist and his HART team were aware of 

the “Alters,” which had appeared after Mother hit his head on a windowsill; 

Mother had also hit his head on a table, triggering his tics. 

Father was concerned about E.C.-O., took his situation seriously, and 

was open to working with mental health resources. E.C.-O.’s CASA reported 

that Father was loving and attentive and that E.C.-O.’s placement with 

Father was “extremely suitable for his needs.” E.C.-O. did not miss Mother 

and did not want to communicate or pursue a relationship with her. 

J.C.-O. was happy and talkative during visits with the social worker

and was described as “kind, very helpful, and usually very happy” at day 

3 We take judicial notice that HART provides services for youths who 

are experiencing commercial sexual exploitation or are at risk. (See 

<http://huckleberryyouth.org/support-for-trafficked-youth/>, as of Mar. 23, 

2022; Evid. Code §§ 452, subd. (h) and 459, subd. (a).
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care. Her teacher observed that J.C.-O. had a great relationship with Father, 

who “is amazing and [a] great dad.” J.C.-O. exhibited no mental health 

concerns but was seeing a therapist to address her parents’ separation, 

Mother’s absence, and the abuse she had witnessed in the home. Father 

reported that J.C.-O. sometimes cried because she missed Mother, while her 

CASA, school, and day care reported that she mentioned Mother in a 

“matter-of-fact way.” Both children were flourishing in Father’s care. 

J.C.-O. had weekly supervised remote visits with Mother, which 

generally were positive.4 However, on one visit Mother told J.C.-O. to tell 

Father “not to put her in jail when she gets older,” leading to the supervisor 

terminating the visit. During another visit Mother asked J.C.-O. to bring her 

brother to the computer so Mother could say hello, although she had been 

advised in court that visitation would not begin until E.C.-O.’s therapist 

found it appropriate. E.C.-O. “became angry and started screaming while 

stating that [Mother] was not a good mother and other issues with her 

parenting.” Mother reported the incident to the social worker, explained she 

wanted to avoid such interactions in the future, and asked her to talk to 

E.C.-O. about it. E.C.-O. did not want visits with Mother unless she was 

receiving parenting services. 

The Agency reported in a June 4, 2021 addendum that the children 

continued to do well with Father. Their mental health was stable, and 

E.C.-O. was continuing to work on the trauma he experienced when Mother 

was in the home. He remained opposed to having any contact with Mother. 

4 Mother wanted to visit the children in person but, because of the 

pandemic, could not return from Montreal without quarantining and staying 

in the area for a month. 
6

Mother’s supervised virtual visits with J.C.-O. were going well. J.C.-O.

would express missing Mother after their visits but seemed less distraught

about her absence. Mother continued to minimize her role in precipitating 

the Agency’s involvement with the family, and the Agency lacked sufficient 

information about her mental health and behavioral changes to assess her 

current capacity to care for J.C.-O. Mother’s relocation to Montreal had 

prevented the Agency from assessing whether J.C.-O. could safely be placed 

with her, and “[s]eparating [J.C.-O.] from a home where she is safe, being 

nurtured and bonded to her sibling would only serve to re-traumatize a child 

of such a young age.”

Mother continued to ask J.C.-O. about E.C.-O. despite J.C.-O. 

repeatedly asking her not to. The Agency planned to arrange in-person visits 

when Mother was able to visit San Francisco and had provided her with local 

housing resources. Mother had obtained financial assistance and an 

apartment in Montreal, where she was engaging in domestic violence, anger 

management, and parenting services. 

Section 388 Petition

On June 2, 2021, Mother filed a section 388 petition seeking to remove 

both children as protected persons from the restraining order; order 

unsupervised in-person visits; place either both children or J.C.-O. with her;

or order joint custody with family maintenance services for both parents. She 

alleged these modifications would be better for the children because J.C.-O.

was bonded and attached to her, while E.C.-O. “need[ed] to be supported in 

normalizing her relationship with her mother, is not currently at risk, [and] 

is caught in the middle of the parents’ divorce and is at risk of parental 

alienation.” Mother stated in a supporting declaration that she had fully 

complied with the restraining order; completed an online anger management 
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class; engaged in therapy and virtual parenting classes; and regularly 

attended virtual visits with J.C.-O. Although E.C.-O. often did not wish to 

speak to Mother, he was never in danger in her care, and she did not want 

him to be forced to choose a side in her conflict with Father. 

Hearing on the Section 388 Petition

At the hearing on the section 388 petition held on June 25, 2021,

Mother argued she had obtained housing and was actively participating in 

therapy and parenting classes, so that “[h]er circumstances now are such that 

she wishes to, at the very least, have [J.C.-O.] returned to her care, or at least 

have . . . meaningful in-person visitation with her.” In addition, Mother

wanted the court to place E.C.-O. with her and, “[m]ore importantly,” to 

modify the restraining order to allow her in-person contact with both 

children. 

Father and the Agency opposed her petition, arguing that, while 

Mother was participating in services, there was no evidence she had made 

progress in those services or that her housing was appropriate for J.C.-O. 

Moreover, Mother said inappropriate things to J.C.-O. during visits, and 

E.C.-O. was triggered “just hearing or speak[ing] about” her. The Agency 

supported continuing to offer Mother supportive services and was open to 

in-person supervised visits if she came to the United States, but Mother’s 

requests for unsupervised visits and placement were premature. The 

children’s counsel agreed there was insufficient evidence Mother had made 

any progress or gained understanding of the reason for the dependency 

proceedings. “So at this point I’m opposed, but I really appreciate Mom’s 

efforts, and I hope that she will continue with that . . . .” 
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The court found there were no changed circumstances and that the 

proposed modifications were not in the children’s best interests. It therefore

denied the petition without need for further hearing. 

The Six-Month Review Hearing

The six-month review hearing was held three days later, on June 28, 

2021. Mother objected to the Agency’s recommendation but declined to 

present evidence or cross-examine the social worker. The Agency, Father,

and the children submitted on the reports. The court renewed the children’s 

dependency status and continued the case for another six months with family 

maintenance services for Father and supportive services for Mother. The 

next court date was set for November 18, 2021.5 

Mother filed a timely appeal. 

DISCUSSION

Mother contends the court abused its discretion in denying her section 

388 petition without further hearing. Not so.

Legal Principles

Section 388 permits a parent to file a petition to change, modify, or set 

aside a prior order upon a proper showing. The petitioning party has the 

burden of showing, by a preponderance of the evidence, that there is a change 

of circumstances or new evidence and that the proposed modification is in the 

best interests of the child. (§ 388; see In re Amber M. (2002) 103 Cal.App.4th 

681, 685.) To get a hearing, the petitioner must show both changed 

circumstances and promotion of the child’s best interests; the failure to show 

either one of these elements defeats the prima facie showing. “[S]ection 388 

5 According to a representation in the Agency’s brief, as of 

December 22, 2021, the Agency was recommending dismissal, and a 

contested custody hearing was scheduled for January 2022. 
9

makes clear that the hearing is only to be held if it appears that the best 

interests of the child may be promoted by the proposed change of order, which 

necessarily contemplates that a court need not order a hearing if this element 

is absent from the showing made by the petition.” (In re Zachary G. (1999) 

77 Cal.App.4th 799, 807.)

“The parent need only make a prima facie showing to trigger the right 

to proceed by way of a full hearing.” (In re Marilyn H. (1993) 5 Cal.4th 295,

310.) “A prima facie case is made if the allegations demonstrate that [the two 

required elements] are supported by probable cause. [Citations.] It is not 

made, however, if the allegations would fail to sustain a favorable decision 

even if they were found to be true at a hearing.” (In re G.B. (2014) 

227 Cal.App.4th 1147, 1157.) In determining whether the petition makes the 

necessary showing, the court must construe it liberally in favor of its 

sufficiency and may consider the entire factual and procedural history of the 

case. (In re Justice P. (2004) 123 Cal.App.4th 181, 188–189; In re Marilyn H., 

at p. 309; Cal. Rules of Court, rule 5.570(a).)

“The petition is addressed to the sound discretion of the juvenile court 

and its decision will not be disturbed on appeal in the absence of a clear 

abuse of discretion.” (In re Jasmon O. (1994) 8 Cal.4th 398, 415.) “ ‘ “The 

appropriate test for abuse of discretion is whether the trial court exceeded the 

bounds of reason. When two or more inferences can reasonably be deduced 

from the facts, the reviewing court has no authority to substitute its decision 

for that of the trial court.” ’ ” (In re Stephanie M. (1994) 7 Cal.4th 295, 318–

319.) “The denial of a section 388 motion rarely merits reversal as an abuse 

of discretion.” (In re Amber M., supra, 103 Cal.App.4th at pp. 685–686.)
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Analysis

On appeal, Mother has narrowed the relief sought in her petition to 

(1) amending the restraining order to exclude both children; (2) granting 

unsupervised visits with J.C.-O.; and (3) placing J.C.-O. in her care. Even 

taking into account Mother’s abandonment of her requests for unsupervised 

visitation and placement as to E.C.-O., the court was well within its 

discretion in finding Mother failed to show the proposed modifications would 

promote either of the children’s best interests.

We turn first to Mother’s requests for unsupervised visitation “with an 

eye towards placing [J.C.-O.] with her.” Mother asserts those modifications

would serve J.C.-O.’s best interests because Mother had consistently visited,

and J.C.-O. was attached to her, cried because she missed her, and enjoyed 

their visits “free of safety concerns or risk.” These allegations fail to state a 

prima facie case that unsupervised visitation or placing J.C.-O. in Mother’s 

care would be in J.C.-O.’s best interests.

In assessing the best interests of a child for purposes of section 388, we 

consider factors including: “(1) the seriousness of the problem which led to 

the dependency, and the reason for any continuation of that problem; (2) the 

strength of relative bonds between the dependent children to both parents 

and caretakers; and (3) the degree to which the problem may be easily 

removed or ameliorated, and the degree to which it actually has been.” (In re 

Kimberly F. (1997) 56 Cal.App.4th 519, 532.)

As to the first factor, Mother’s emotional and physical abuse of J.C.-O.’s 

father and brother in the family home and in J.C.-O.’s presence are serious 

problems indeed. As to the second factor, J.C.-O. missed Mother, but she was 

a happy child, her distress had lessened with time, and she loved Father and 

was flourishing in his care. J.C.-O. was no longer crying because she missed
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her mother, and her earlier crying “was not intense at any point.” Finally, it 

cannot be said that Mother’s abusive behavior was a “problem” that could be 

easily “removed or ameliorated” or that “it actually ha[d] been.” Mother was

participating in various supportive services, but she had not authorized her 

therapist to disclose information necessary for the social worker to assess 

J.C.-O’s safety with her. She had behaved inappropriately during supervised 

visits, speaking to J.C.-O. about Father putting her in jail and asking her to 

discuss E.C.-O. and engage him in their visits. Further, Mother continued to 

minimize her responsibility for the events that resulted in the Agency’s 

involvement with the family. In short, Mother failed to show any 

amelioration of the problems that led to the dependency.6

Mother also failed to show it would be in the children’s best interests to 

remove them from the protection of the restraining order. The restraining 

order was issued in August 2020 after Mother verbally and physically abused 

Father and E.C.-O. and exposed J.C.-O. to her abusive behavior. Mother now 

asserts the restraining order is unnecessary because she has complied with it 

“as well as all court orders,” has engaged in various services, and lives in 

Canada. Even assuming these allegations demonstrate changed

circumstances for purposes of section 388, missing from Mother’s allegations

is any showing that modifying the restraining order as she proposes would be 

in the children’s best interests despite her history of abusive behavior and 

inappropriate interactions and the children’s emotional needs and positive, 

6 Although Mother also asserts on appeal that her visits with J.C.-O. 

should be in person rather than virtual, the Agency was in fact supportive of 

in-person visitation, offered to facilitate it when Mother can travel from 

Canada to San Francisco, and provided her with assistance to secure housing 

in the Bay Area. 
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bonded relationship with Father. (See In re G.B., supra, 227 Cal.App.4th 

1147, 1157 [while the petition must be liberally construed in favor its 

sufficiency, its allegations must specifically describe how it will advance the 

child’s best interests].) The juvenile court’s ruling was well within its 

discretion.

DISPOSITION

The order denying Mother’s petition for modification is affirmed.
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_________________________

Desautels, J.*

WE CONCUR:

_________________________

Streeter, Acting P.J.

_________________________

Brown, J.

A163066 In re S.C.-O.

* Judge of the Alameda County Superior Court, assigned by the Chief 

Justice pursuant to article VI, section 6 of the California Constitution.