Opinion ID: 2067744
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: county court order

Text: Section 43-285(2) provides the applicable standard for adjudicating changes in placement: If any other party, including, but not limited to, the guardian ad litem, parents, county attorney, or custodian, proves by a preponderance of the evidence that the department's plan is not in the juvenile's best interests, the court shall disapprove the department's plan. Our review is de novo on the record, and we are required to reach a conclusion independent of the trial court's findings. See In re Interest of J.T.B. and H.J.T., 245 Neb. 624, 514 N.W.2d 635 (1994). At some point during the foster care placement with the Browns, DSS decided that the adoption by the Browns should not be completed. When O'Brien was assigned to the case in April or May 1994, he requested a psychological evaluation of the Browns as adoptive parents. O'Brien testified that he requested the evaluation upon learning that the Browns maintained a second residence where Leonard slept. Leonard has apnea and significant snoring problems that require these sleeping arrangements. Skulsky met briefly with the Browns and the children as a group and gave the Browns a few psychological tests. Skulsky reported that at the beginning of his interview, Dee Brown was pulling two chairs out of the interview room into the hallway. She expressed irritation at music playing in the waiting room and appeared to be moving the chairs to avoid frustrations associated with the room. Skulsky stated that this behavior suggested that Dee had such an easily upset frustration tolerance that it led her to somewhat inappropriate behaviors. Skulsky reported a few observations that were noted in the Browns' foster care record. A DSS caseworker had opined that the Browns had a tendency to react quickly or overreact to some situations and seemed to internalize and place blame on themselves even when no one was at fault. The caseworker felt that Dee Brown was easily put into a stress mode if she was not prepared for a stressful situation. Skulsky referred to a letter from a Dr. Zedek, a psychiatrist in North Platte, who had stated that Dee has a severe form of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, adult residual type. Zedek stated in his letter that Dee had difficulty following through with the simplest of instructions. Skulsky also noted that Leonard has a snoring problem and that he maintains a separate residence for sleeping purposes. Skulsky's recommendations were as follows: 1. Of course any recommendations about adoption needs to take into account the possible options for given children. Under the best of circumstances the Brown family would not be a good adoptive family for the children. While they display an excellent capacity to create fun activities- the travel, the books filled with pictures of family events- and to help connections exist with the family of origin of these children, the Browns['] capacity to provide an emotional system where the children can both grow strong and close and challenge the parents as the children effect separation processes in later childhood and teen-aged years seems deeply blunted. The fact that Mr. Brown is so dependent on Mrs. Brown and that Mrs. Brown is not likely to be a good counseling candidate furthers this conclusion. 2. If no other more encompassing positive adoptive placements occur, of course, the Browns could be considered for placement of the children. The Browns['] skills seem particularly suited to short[-] to mid[-]term foster care placements for children. O'Brien testified that DSS' decision to change placement of the children was based on Skulsky's evaluation of the Browns, a letter from Zedek stating that Dee Brown was unable to make the simplest decisions, and a 1991 home study stating that the Browns would be appropriate for short-term placements only and would not be appropriate for long-term placements. Upon cross-examination, O'Brien admitted that the Browns gave the children appropriate care, including food and health care, and that there were never any physical problems with the care of the children. The Browns introduced substantial evidence against the change of placement. Kendra Leonhardt, a certified professional counselor and psychotherapist who served as the children's therapist since February 1993 and worked closely with the Browns in the children's development, testified that when the children were first placed with the Browns, they had a significant amount of emotional instability and psychological issues relating to past physical and sexual abuse. One of the children had manifested a number of problems associated with this abuse. The child was having a hard time staying concentrated on a task, was wetting the bed, and was getting up at night and hoarding food. Leonhardt testified that the children's behavior had been stabilizing since their placement with the Browns and that they were responding well to the Browns' care. Leonhardt had warned DSS about the destructive impact that the transition to a new placement would have on the children. She noted that as soon as the children became aware that they were going to be removed from the home, they began to regress into their past behaviors. Leonhardt's professional opinion was that adoption by the Browns would be in the children's best interests. Monica Kramer, one of the children's schoolteachers, testified that the Browns were very concerned parents and were very cooperative with her on behalf of the children. The teacher reported that Cheralee had shown notable progress in school during the time that she was living with the Browns, but had recently regressed in her performance. Kramer reported seeing a definite deterioration in Cheralee's behavior once she understood she would be leaving the Browns. Cheralee once burst out crying in front of her classmates and explained that she was going to have to leave home. Kramer's testimony confirms Leonhardt's assessment of the positive relationship between the Browns and the children. The guardian ad litem also opposed the change of placement from the Browns. Juvenile cases are reviewed de novo on the record, and the appellate court is required to reach a conclusion independent of the trial court's findings; however, where the evidence is in conflict, the appellate court will consider and may give weight to the fact that the trial court observed the witnesses and accepted one version of the facts over another. In re Interest of J.T.B. and H.J.T., 245 Neb. 624, 514 N.W.2d 635 (1994). From our review, we find that the Browns have proved by a preponderance of the evidence that the proposed change of placement would not be in the best interests of the children.