Opinion ID: 885900
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Termination of Michelle's Parental Rights

Text: ¶ 43 The District Court determined that although Michelle attempted compliance with her treatment plans, those attempts did not successfully rehabilitate her to obtaining minimum parenting skills. The court further determined that the conduct and condition rendering Michelle unfit had not sufficiently improved over the past 18 months and thus that conduct and condition is unlikely to change within a reasonable time. Consequently, the court terminated Michelle's parental rights. ¶ 44 We have repeatedly held that partial compliance with a treatment plan is insufficient to preclude termination of parental rights. In the Matter of K.A.B., 1999 MT 71, ¶ 19, 294 Mont. 29, ¶ 19, 977 P.2d 997, ¶ 19 (citations omitted). Not only must the parent comply with the treatment plan, but the treatment plan must also be successful. B.F., ¶ 15 (quoting In re E.W., 1998 MT 135, ¶ 26, 289 Mont. 190, ¶ 26, 959 P.2d 951, ¶ 26). It is well established that a treatment plan can be unsuccessful even when the tasks were completed. In the Matter of S.M., R.D., Jr., D.D., S.D., C.D., and J.D., 1999 MT 36, ¶ 25, 293 Mont. 294, ¶ 25, 975 P.2d 334, ¶ 25 (citing In the Matter of R.B.O. (1996), 277 Mont. 272, 281, 921 P.2d 268, 273). ¶ 45 Michelle was offered three separate treatment plans. She failed to prepare monthly budgets as required by her treatment plans and she did not attend family therapy. But, more importantly, Michelle did not successfully complete her treatment plans because she continues to be incapable of understanding and anticipating the dangers that her personal decisions present to the children. ¶ 46 Therapist Anne Harris, who worked with Michelle, testified about an incident where Michelle was having an unsupervised visit with her children at a swimming pool. While Michelle was focusing her attention on S.M., she failed to notice that P.L.M. had wandered off. It was not until S.M. brought it to her attention that Michelle realized that P.L.M. had fallen and was lying face down on the bottom of the wading pool. ¶ 47 After this incident, DPHHS did not allow any more unsupervised visits outside their offices because Michelle had demonstrated that she was incapable of safely supervising more than one child at a time. As DPHHS points out, it is disingenuous to argue that a mother who is not even allowed unsupervised visits with her children possesses even minimally adequate parenting skills. ¶ 48 Michelle knew Gerald did not have a driver's license, yet she allowed him to drive with the children in the car. Michelle testified that she let Gerald move in with her and the children after knowing him a very short time because he was cute. Michelle's inability to protect S.M. led to S.M. being physically and sexually abused by Gerald. Michelle continued to live with Gerald even after she was confronted with his physical and sexual abuse of S.M. Moreover, Michelle expressed disbelief that S.M. had been abused and it was Gerald that eventually broke off their relationship, not Michelle. ¶ 49 When S.M. and P.L.M. were removed from Michelle's care in July 1998, DPHHS scheduled several visits for Michelle. Michelle brought Gerald, S.M.'s abuser, with her to one of the scheduled visits. In addition, Michelle seems unaware of the special needs of her daughter as a result of the abuse she experienced. When asked about S.M.'s special needs, Michelle indicated that S.M. may need to be tested for dyslexia, but could identify no other concerns. ¶ 50 Furthermore, as previously noted, during the 1997 action and initially during this action, S.M. and P.L.M. were placed with Michael's father and step-mother. It was not until after the children were removed from this home due to physical abuse by Michael's stepmother that Michael and Michelle disclosed that they did not feel that Michael's father and step-mother were appropriate caretakers due to abusive incidents towards Michael when he was a child. ¶ 51 Michelle argues that she poses no harm to her children and that the men previously in her life, Michael and Gerald, cannot now be used to deny her her parental rights. However, as we noted previously, we do not have a crystal ball to look into, so our determination of a person's ability to parent their child must, to some extent, be based on that person's past conduct. C.A. R., 214 Mont. at 187, 693 P.2d at 1221. It is precisely because of the men Michelle previously let into her life and the children's lives that DPHHS is concerned that Michelle is incapable of keeping her children safe from future harm that could be inflicted upon them by third parties. ¶ 52 Social worker Jerri Tate testified that in her opinion Michelle remains a risk to her children. Therapist Anne Harris testified that Michelle still had problems in telling men no, that she would tell lies to cover for them, and that her judgment would likely be influenced by men. Thus, even if Michelle had completed all of the requirements of her treatment plans, the treatment plans have not been successful in rehabilitating her to obtaining minimum parenting skills and it is unlikely that these attributes of Michelle's will change within the immediately foreseeable future. We conclude that there is clear and convincing evidence to support the District Court's finding that Michelle's conduct or condition which renders her unfit as a parent is unlikely to change within a reasonable time. ¶ 53 Accordingly, we hold that the District Court did not err in terminating Michelle's parental rights. ¶ 54 Affirmed. We Concur: KARLA M. GRAY, C.J., JIM REGNIER, W. WILLIAM LEAPHART, TERRY N. TRIEWEILER, JJ..