Opinion ID: 6348794
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Children’s Placement With Jared And Ruth

Text: In August 2017 Mona called the caseworker and asked that OCS take the children into its custody. OCS placed both children with Jared, but Ruth assumed most childcare responsibilities. Mona visited fairly regularly, though according to Ruth the children acted out after her visits. In mid-October OCS created a case plan for Mona, which she signed. The plan called for her to address her substance abuse issues, attend outpatient services, obtain a behavioral health and substance abuse assessment, and complete a parenting class; Mona testified that she completed the parenting class. In late October Ruth asked OCS to remove Anders and Vera from her care, and OCS filed an amended emergency petition for CINA adjudication and temporary custody. In early November OCS removed the children from Ruth’s home and sent them to live with a foster parent. In December Mona stipulated that Anders and Vera were children in need of aid due to neglect. The stipulation also outlined a visitation schedule: Once the children were returned to Ruth’s home, Mona would have daily phone calls and three two-hour visits a week. Mona was also supposed to obtain an integrated assessment; once she completed any recommended treatment program, overnight visits and a trial home visit could begin. But the stipulation recognized that Mona was living with her boyfriend, Earl, a registered sex offender, and provided that any visits would “depend on an appropriate resolution to the problems presented by the presence of a registered sex offender” in her home.4 4 Mona and Earl continued their relationship throughout the case, and there were a number of domestic violence incidents between them in 2018 and 2019. -5- 7598