Opinion ID: 1668985
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: did the trial court err in denying parents' motion to dismiss pursuant to sdcl 26-8a-26?

Text: SDCL 26-8A-26 provides in pertinent part: If an adjudicated abused or neglected child whose parental rights have not been terminated has been in the custody of the department of social services without a court approved plan for long-term foster care and it appears at a dispositional or review hearing (1) that all reasonable efforts have been made to rehabilitate the family, (2) that the conditions which led to the removal of the child still exist and (3) there is little likelihood that those conditions will be remedied so the child can be returned to the custody of the child's parents, the court shall affirmatively find that good cause exists for termination of the parental rights of the child's parents and the court shall enter an order terminating parental rights.... In no case may a child remain in foster care for a period in excess of eighteen months without the court making a dispositional decree setting forth one of the above options. Id. (emphasis added). As stated, at the beginning of the dispositional hearing on May 25, 1993, Mother and Father made a motion to dismiss the case because A.R.P. had been in foster care for twenty-five months without a final disposition. The court denied this motion, and we affirm this determination. It is true that A.R.P.'s time in foster care exceeded eighteen months. In large part, however, the delay was due to the parents' difficulty in obtaining and maintaining an attorney. The first two DPLS lawyers appointed for Mother and Father resigned prior to the final disposition of this matter. Had the court mandated that the hearing be held at the eighteen-month mark, Mother and Father would have been forced to appear without counsel. When present counsel was appointed, a continuance was requested and granted to allow counsel time to prepare. Had the lower court refused to grant these continuances, we would expect complaints that such denials would have been an abuse of discretion by the court. We note that SDCL 26-8A-1 provides that the purpose of the statutory scheme is to establish an effective state and local system for protection of children from abuse or neglect. Id. We have stated that in termination proceedings, [T]he prime concern of the court is the child. The best interests of the child must prevail. In re H.A.H., 502 N.W.2d 120, 124 (S.D.1993) (citing In re S., V & L.W., 398 N.W.2d 136, 139 (S.D.1986); State ex rel. K.C., 414 N.W.2d 616, 620 (S.D.1987)). We agree with the lower court that dismissal of this case would not be in the best interests of the child. The purpose of time limits such as those found in SDCL 26-8A-26 is to prevent children from languishing in the uncertainty of foster care. State ex rel. D.M., 367 N.W.2d 769, 773 (S.D.1985). However, under the facts and circumstances of this case, A.R.P. was not languishing in foster care. A.R.P. had been in the same, stable foster home since his birth. The extension of time in reality had the effect of allowing Mother and Father additional opportunities to demonstrate that they could achieve the goals embodied in their DSS case service plan, which they failed to do. In support of our decision here, we note an Iowa case involving termination of parental rights, wherein the Iowa Court of Appeals reviewed the trial court's refusal to grant the parents' motion to dismiss on the grounds the lower court had failed to abide by time standards for case processing. In re C.L.H. and S.D.H., 500 N.W.2d 449, 451 (Iowa App.1993). The court noted that lack of adherence to the time standards occurred in part because of continuances requested by the parents. 500 N.W.2d at 452. Noting that the primary concern in termination proceedings is the best interests of the child, the court continued: To dismiss the petition based on the untimeliness of the proceedings would not have been in the best interests of the children. We find the [lower] court did not err in refusing to dismiss the termination of parental rights petition for failure to abide by the time standards for case processing. Id. We agree with the reasoning of this court, and affirm the lower court's denial of the motion to dismiss.