Opinion ID: 2371857
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: analysis

Text: We disagree with appellants' contention that the trial court abused its discretion by prematurely granting the adoption petition over their objection. On its face, L.H. and D.P.'s plea for a little more time to prepare themselves to effectively parent their children, appears compelling and reasonable, given their considerable efforts to address their respective addictions and other barriers to parenting their children. However, the legal standard by which we are bound to review this case is the best interests of the child. [10] See In re S.C.M., 653 A.2d 398, 405 (D.C.1995). Based on our analysis of the statutory factors and applicable case law, we conclude that the trial court did not abuse its discretion. The first statutory factor we must consider is the children's need for continuity of care and caretakers and for timely integration into a stable and permanent home. D.C.Code § 16-2353(b)(1). The children's birth father, D.P., contends that this factor should weigh in favor of the appellants since, except for D.H., the other children have not been in foster care that long, and in any event, they have been in the stable environment of petitioners' home and have not been shuffled between numerous foster homes. However, D.P.'s characterization of the childrens' placements in the neglect system is misguided. Timely integration into a stable and permanent home is arguably the most important factor when considering the best interests of the child. In viewing the evidence in a light most favorable to the petitioners, we conclude that the evidence supports the trial court's finding that adoption of the H children by the petitioners satisfies their need for continuity of care and stability. D.H. and M.H. have either been in foster care or under court protective supervision continually since 1996. Similarly, E.H. has been in either foster care or under court protective supervision continually since 1997, and T.H. has been in either foster care or under court protective supervision continually since 2002. The trial court found, based on the testimony at the show cause hearing, that the H children have become a part of the petitioners' family and have developed relationships with them. Petitioners and the H children operate as a family and attend church together, go vacationing, and attend family functions. The petitioners have been placement resources for the H children since the first time they were removed from L.H.'s home in 1996, and have been the one stable factor in their lives ever since. See, e.g., In re J.L., 884 A.2d 1072, 1078 (D.C.2005) (holding that the trial judge did not abuse his discretion in concluding that this statutory factor weighed in favor of waiving the mother's consent to adoption because the adoptive couple provided the children with a stable and permanent family home for nearly four years, whereas, despite sincere efforts, the biological mother had not shown that she can stay sober, and this demonstrated an inability to provide for the children's physical, mental, and emotional needs). On the other hand, neither the mother, L.H., nor the father, D.P., has been able to provide their children with the same type of stability and permanence displayed by petitioners. Both L.H. and D.P. have admitted to their protracted history of substance abuse. Moreover, L.H. has a long history of leaving her children with unwilling and unable caretakers and when offered a second chance to care for her children in 1999 and 2000, L.H. relapsed and again left her children with unwilling caretakers. Viewing the record before us in the light most favorable to the government, as we must, the trial court did not abuse its discretion by considering L.H.'s and D.P.'s history of neglect and instability, and determining that they were withholding consent contrary to the best interests of their children. We discern no abuse of discretion in the trial court refusing to place the children back in L.H.'s home and subject them to a degree of uncertainty and the risk that such neglect would occur again. This is a gamble that the court should not make. In re L.L., 653 A.2d 873, 887 (D.C.1995) (courts will not gamble with a child's future) (internal quotations and citations omitted). The second factor we consider is the physical, mental, and emotional health of all parties involved. D.C.Code § 16-2353(b)(2). The trial court found that this factor also weighed in favor of the petitioners and concluded that there were no compelling physical or mental health issues regarding the parties involved. Although L.H. has problems with her knees and D.P. suffers some physical health problems, there is no indication that these conditions have any impact on their ability to parent. Further, the parents do not dispute that the petitioners have been able to meet all of the children's physical, mental, and emotional needs. Because the evidence supports these findings, they should not be disturbed. See, e.g., Hill v. United States, 627 A.2d 975, 979 n. 3 (D.C.1993) (We give considerable deference, as we must, to these factual findings, and we may not disturb them unless they are plainly wrong or without evidence to support them.) ( citing D.C.Code § 17-305 (2001) (citation omitted)). The third factor to be considered is the quality of the interactions between the parties involved. D.C.Code § 16-2353(b)(3). None of the parties dispute the fact that the children love their parents, as well as the petitioners. The record reveals that L.H. and D.P. have a warm and respectful relationship with the petitioners. As between the H children and the petitioners, it is undisputed by all parties that this relationship has been altogether favorable. The evidence is clear that the petitioners' home exudes a sense of warmth, that the children are happy living there, and that they affectionately refer to the petitioners as mom and dad. Additionally, as between the H children and their parents, the record reveals that the quality of the interactions between them has improved. However, D.P. admitted that his relationship with his children was fragmentary until September 2004, and that he did not have much of a relationship with his children before this time. The trial court found that this third factor weighed in favor of the petitioners. Because the record supports each of these findings, we find no abuse of discretion by the trial court in determining that the quality of the interactions between the parties involved is satisfactory. The fourth statutory factor to be considered is the children's opinion of their best interests. D.C.Code § 16-2353(b)(4). Although none of the H children testified at the show cause hearing, the Magistrate Judge looked to the behavior of the children, as described by other witnesses at the show cause hearing, and adduced that while the children enjoyed visiting with their parents, they were well adjusted to the petitioners' home. In evaluating this fourth factor, the trial court properly considered the testimony of other witnesses who had directly observed the children. While it is preferable for judges to hear directly from the children involved in such proceedings if it is at all feasible to do so, In re J.L., supra, 884 A.2d at 1080 (internal citation and quotation marks omitted), [t]he statute does not say the judge must derive this opinion even partly from questioning of the child himself. In re T.W., 623 A.2d 116, 117 (D.C.1993); see also In re I.B., 631 A.2d 1225, 1232 (D.C.1993). The fifth and final factor we consider is whether there was continued drug use in the children's home environment. D.C.Code § 16-2353(b)(5). We have held that the phrase home environment refers to the home where a child would reside if returned to his or her mother. See In re D.R., 673 A.2d 1259, 1264 (D.C.1996). Because the record supports the fact that both L.H. and D.P. are currently drug free, we accept the trial court's finding that this factor should not be allocated any weight. [11] See Hill, supra, 627 A.2d at 979 n. 3. In summary, a weighing of the statutory factors does not support appellants' contention that the adoption decree was granted prematurely or improperly over their objection. L.H. contends that she should have been given more time to show that she would abstain from drugs and be able to function as a good parent. [12] L.H.'s continuous contact with her children and her numerous efforts at drug rehabilitation make the facts of this case somewhat more compelling than previous cases we have decided where birth parents sought additional time to address an addiction or other issue impeding their ability to parent. Cf. In re W.E.T., 793 A.2d 471, 478 (D.C. 2002) (court upheld adoption decree where the child's natural mother had not involved herself in the child's life to any extent and returning the child to the mother's care would involve numerous risks and uncertainties about the mother's ability to stay off drugs and maintain a home); In re Petition of P.S., supra, 797 A.2d 1219 (finding that it would be inappropriate to risk a child's health and very life on the future intentions of parents who continued to struggle with cocaine addiction and had demonstrated little commitment to preparing themselves to meet the special needs of the child); see also In re L.L., supra, 653 A.2d at 881. In the instant case, L.H., in particular, has maintained an ongoing relationship with her youngest child and has taken other steps to prepare herself to be able one day to care for all of her children on her own. However, we have repeatedly rejected the wait and see approach as contrary to the best interests of the child. In In re J.G., supra , we stated: Notwithstanding the presumption in favor of the birth parent, however, we have repeatedly held that the parent's rights may and must be overridden when such a drastic measure is necessary in order to protect the best interests of the child. It is the court's first duty . . . to protect [a child] from any unwarranted danger of harm. Furthermore, there is a strong public policy, enhanced by federal legislation, disfavoring the protracted retention of children in foster care, and a wait and see option indefinitely deferring adoption or termination of parental rights (leaving a child in legal limbo for the foreseeable future) is inappropriate where a birth parent's ability to reunite with the child within a reasonable time is entirely speculative. 831 A.2d at 1001 (internal quotations and citations omitted). We have similarly held in other cases that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in holding that the birth parents had been given sufficient time to attempt reunification with their children. [13] The H. children have been in foster care for almost a decade. The trial court considered L.H.'s most recent success in addressing her drug abuse, but the court also refused to discount her past actions in predicting her future behavior. We conclude that the trial court did not err in looking to L.H.'s past actions to predict her future ability to care for her children. See, e.g., In re L.L., supra, 653 A.2d at 881 (Parental unfitness is a personal characteristic which, ordinarily, does not vanish overnight. . . .) (citation omitted). [14] Similarly, the trial court refused to ignore D.P.'s criminal and drug use history, even while recognizing his efforts to put his life back on the right track. Although we commend both L.H. and D.P on their recent attempts to straighten out their lives, it is the best interests of the H children that is our paramount concern. As such, we cannot adopt the wait and see approach that L.H. and D.P. suggest. In conclusion, we discern no abuse of discretion by the trial court in terminating L.H.'s and D.P.'s parental rights over their objection and allowing the children to be adopted by the petitioners, who have cared for them nearly all of the last ten years. Accordingly, the decision of the trial court is hereby affirmed.