Opinion ID: 1986881
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Severity of acts or conditions

Text: Another essential part of any determination whether to terminate parental rights is whether the cited acts or conditions of the parent, and their accompanying impact upon the child, are severe enough to constitute abuse or neglect. In the Interest of P.C., B.M., and C.M., 62 S.W.3d at 604 (parent's acts may have been inappropriate but were not severe enough to support termination). Some parental conduct will harm a child without constituting abuse or neglect. In the Interest of B.C.K. and K.S.P., 103 S.W.3d at 328. It is essential that the trial court determine whether the parent's acts are of sufficient severity. For some types of parenting problems, the required level of severity the court must find is specified by the statute. For example, sections 211.447.4(2)(b) and 211.447.4(3)(d) provide that chemical dependency is of sufficient severity to support termination if it prevents the parent from consistently providing the necessary care, custody and control over the child and which cannot be treated so as to enable the parent to consistently provide such care, custody and control. For another example, not every criminal act committed by the parent is severe enough to be abuse or neglect. Section 211.447.4(4) provides that it will be a grounds for termination of parental rights if the parent has been found guilty or pled guilty to a felony violation of chapter 566, RSMo [sexual offenses], when the child or any child in the family was a victim, or a violation of section 568.020, RSMo [incest], when the child or any child in the family was a victim. Section 211.447.6(6) provides for consideration of the conviction of the parent of a felony offense that the court finds is of such a nature that the child will be deprived of a stable home for a period of years.... These sections provide guidance as to how severe a parent's criminal conduct must be to constitute abuse. [7] Isolated abusive acts or conditions may not support termination when considered individually, but if they form a consistent pattern, are recurrent or are repeated, they can, when considered in combination, rise to the level of abuse and support termination. Sec. 211.447.4(2)(c), (2)(d), (3), (6).