Opinion ID: 2638651
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Parties at Issue

Text: Vivian, the appellant, is the mother of the four children (Scott, Amy, Michael, and Veronica) in dispute. Keith, who had been involved in the Division of Family and Youth Services (DFYS) action and in the action in the superior court, is the father of Scott, Amy, and Michael; the father of Veronica is deceased. Both Vivian and Keith had their parental rights terminated in superior court by Judge Mary E. Greene on August 29, 2000. Vivian has appealed this decision; Keith has not.
Vivian has suffered from a long history of mental illness. The condition from which she suffers is Bipolar Disorder, for which she is currently taking medication to control her symptoms. Her first acute attack was precipitated by taking LSD in 1988 when she was fifteen and resulted in her being hospitalized, first in the Fairbanks Memorial Hospital and then in the Alaska Psychiatric Institute. Subsequent hospitalizations for mental illness have coincided with the births of each of her four children. The first such hospitalization occurred at the Alaska Psychiatric Institute in October 1991, shortly after the birth of her son Scott. Vivian had ceased taking her medication for her mental illness in November 1990. Fearing that Vivian might not be able to care for her baby because of her psychological condition, the obstetrician both requested a psychiatric consultation and contacted DFYS. Vivian was sent to the Alaska Psychiatric Institute and later given lessons in child care. In 1992 Vivian was hospitalized in the psychiatric ward of Fairbanks Memorial Hospital while making accusations that Scott was being sexually molested. Approximately six months after the birth of Amy in June 1993, Vivian was again sent to the Alaska Psychiatric Institute and the psychiatric ward of Fairbanks Memorial Hospital. Upon the insistence of Keith, Vivian discontinued use of her prescribed psychotropic medications during her pregnancy, thus precipitating the recurrence of acute episodes related to her Bipolar Disorder. Vivian had another acute episode in 1994. As of September 1995, Vivian was again pregnant (with Michael) and off her medication at the insistence of Keith. Vivian left Keith in April 1996, took her three children to a local women's shelter, and filed a domestic violence restraining order against Keith. After becoming pregnant with Veronica by a now-deceased third party, Vivian reconciled with Keith. Vivian soon thereafter filed a second protective order against him when he ordered her and her sister out of his house. This second petition was filed in response to a domestic violence incident in which Keith allegedly grabbed Vivian and threatened to kill her after she kicked him in the nose during an argument. Despite leaving Keith, Vivian did not take her mental illness medications during her pregnancy. Soon after the birth of Veronica on October 6, 1997, Vivian asked her mother to take care of her children while she had a tubal ligation. In January 1998 Vivian was arrested for assaulting her niece, who at the time was babysitting the children. [2] At the time, all four children were living with Vivian, but only the three older children were present during the assault, Veronica having spent the night with her maternal grandmother. Upon her release from jail, Vivian went again to the Alaska Psychiatric Institute and then in April 1998 entered the Paul Williams House, an assisted living facility in Fairbanks for patients with mental illness. The Paul Williams House does not allow its patients to have children live with them. Vivian left the Paul Williams House in September 1999 and a month later moved in with Craig, whom she married the following month.
Scott, the oldest child, was almost nine at the time of the superior court trial. He suffers from both Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Scott displays aggressiveness toward other children and poor communications skills. In addition, he has serious psychological issues surrounding sex: He has been both a victim and a perpetrator of sexual abuse. Vivian reports that Scott told her that he had been sexually assaulted by his father. Scott has been sexually active on frequent occasions, including sexual intercourse with a ten-year-old girl when he was four years old and sexual intercourse with a fifteen-year-old female cousin when he was six. Scott is considered a threat to other children and has already sexually assaulted both another boy and his younger sister Amy. Scott was frequently beaten as a child. In therapy sessions, Scott described incidents of fighting between Vivian and Keith, including Keith raping Vivian and sending her to a friend to be raped. Scott is currently in foster care. He was initially placed with his maternal grandparents, but later removed after the grandparents violated rules about contact between Scott and Vivian. All four children, including Scott, were placed for one night in an Indian preference foster home but were removed because the prospective foster parents did not feel they could handle children with such severe disciplinary problems. Social workers feared Scott would be a difficult foster placement because of his behavioral problems. However, Scott was quickly placed with his current foster family, to whom he appears to have developed some attachment and who have expressed a desire to adopt him. The family is non-Native. Social workers who worked with Scott testified that he needs to be placed in a caring and supportive environment, with only limited visitation with his parents, if he is to develop into an emotionally well-functioning adult. Scott has expressed some desire to visit with his mother and siblings. Amy, seven years old at the time of trial, also exhibits behavioral problems as a result of being a victim of sexual abuse. She has a history of masturbating excessively in front of family members. She has been sexually molested by Scott. A child psychiatrist has also testified that Amy is physically aggressive with other children and has difficulty establishing appropriate physical boundaries. Amy is emotionally immature and has developmental difficulties with regard to her social interactions. Furthermore, she has Fetal Alcohol Effect and probably suffers from Attention Deficit Disorder. Social workers have testified that Amy will need significant parental attention, in addition to continued therapy, if she is to overcome her developmental difficulties. Amy is currently in foster care with a non-Native family that has expressed a desire to adopt her. [3] This is her third foster family, the first foster family having had Amy for only one night and the second declining to adopt Amy after having her for eleven months. Amy appears to have formed an emotional attachment to her current foster family. In therapy sessions following visits by Vivian, Amy has also expressed a desire to stay with Vivian. Michael, who was four years old at the time of the trial, exhibits hyperactivity and self-destructive behavior. He has shown developmental delays in his speech and behavior. Michael also throws violent temper tantrums and is aggressive toward other children. His therapist believes Michael suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Reactive Attachment Disorder, but has ruled out Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Michael has trouble sleeping at night, including uncontrolled bouts of screaming, and is on medication for his sleeping difficulties. Michael needs near-constant attention to ensure he is not a danger either to others or to himself. Michael is currently placed with a Native American foster family to whom he has gained some limited form of attachment; he shows overall improvements in his behavior. He has lived in multiple foster placements. Michael's current foster family has expressed a desire to adopt him. Veronica was only two and a half years old at the time of trial. She suffers from a pronounced case of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, including both physical and mental manifestations. She exhibits various developmental delays and will need continued therapy for the foreseeable future. Veronica was initially placed with relatives, but permanent adoption was not possible because the specialized resources she needed were not available in the area. Veronica is currently with an Alaska Native foster family who has expressed an interest in adopting her. Veronica was initially a rather aggressive child and displayed self-destructive behavior but following her foster placement is able to get along better with other children. Her development has almost caught up to that of a normal two year old.