Opinion ID: 1826567
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: whether reasonable efforts were made to reunite mother with j.y.

Text: SDCL 26-8A-21 requires that Social Services shall make reasonable efforts to make it possible for the child to return to the home of the child's parents, guardian or custodian. The trial court found reasonable efforts had been made. In order to overturn that finding of fact, Mother must show the finding was clearly erroneous. SDCL 15-6-52(a). Social Services provided significant, but nevertheless unsuccessful, services to Mother with her prior child. These included: supervised visits; parenting classes; individual case management services; individual therapy for Mother; medical care and advice, home based services including cleaning and child care; and, two case service plans. Parental rights can be terminated upon a showing that the services to the family are unsuccessful or unavailing. People in Interest of S.M.M., 349 N.W.2d 63, 65 (S.D.1984); Matter of M.S.M., 320 N.W.2d 795, 799 (S.D.1982); Matter of R.Z.F., 284 N.W.2d 879, 882 (S.D.1979). This is not a case where minimal services were offered. The Social Service workers testified that all these services had garnered little, if any, improvement in Mother's ability to be an effective parent for J.Y. A child should not be required to wait for parents to acquire parenting skills that may never develop. See In Interest of A.D., 416 N.W.2d 264, 268 (S.D.1987). The trial court was not clearly erroneous in concluding Social Services had made reasonable efforts.