Accordingly, we believe that when a minor is the ward of a court and under its protection, the above-cited provisions give the juvenile court the authority to vacate any dispositional order upon a finding that a change in circumstances has occurred warranting such an action. The trial court had the authority, pursuant to section 2-23 of the Act, to change visitation in the manner in which it did. The instant case is an example of a proper dispositional order regarding visitation. The question we must now consider is whether the circumstances and best interests of D.S. warranted the change in the dispositional order, requiring that D.S. need not attend visits with Mary Beth. Such a determination is left to the sound discretion of the trial court and will not be reversed unless it is against the manifest weight of the evidence.
Dispositional orders are to be made in the child's best interests.
In the instant case, the trial court heard evidence from D.S. that her mother, Mary Beth, slammed her head into a wall and put her in close proximity to her father, who had sexually abused her from age 9 until age 12, in violation of an order of protection. D.S. was adamant that she did not want to visit with her mother, because her mother made her feel like the sexual abuse to which she was subjected was somehow her fault. The record also reflects that Mary Beth has no intention of divorcing John and will most likely continue a relationship with him. Mary Beth testified that she feels compelled to maintain a relationship with John because her son, S.S., wants a relationship with his father. The trial court properly considered the best interests of D.S., and we cannot say that the trial court's ruling was an abuse of discretion, especially in light of the fact that the trial court ordered a review of the matter in six months and ordered counseling for both D.S. and Mary Beth.