Opinion ID: 1933198
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The rights of the parent.

Text: The right of a parent to raise her child is a fundamental liberty interest protected by the Constitution. See Santosky v. Kramer, 455 U.S. 745, 753, 102 S.Ct. 1388, 71 L.Ed.2d 599 (1982); In re J.F., 615 A.2d 594, 597 (D.C.1992). In a child neglect proceeding, the best interests of the child are paramount, but `a child's best interests are presumptively served by being with a parent.' In re S.G., 581 A.2d 771, 785 (D.C.1990); see also Shelton v. Bradley, 526 A.2d 579, 580 (D.C.1987). Even the temporary removal of a child from his or her parent's custody can substantially interfere with a natural parent's right to develop a relationship with [her] child. In re J.F., supra, 615 A.2d at 598. The permanent denial of custody to a natural parent affects the parent-child relationship even more gravely. In light of these considerations, courts must ensure, in the best interests of both parent and child, that the parent be afforded all of the protections provided by law. In the present case, we conclude that although the trial judge attempted to act conscientiously in what she believed to be the best interests of the two children, she exceeded her authority under the divorce statutes and deprived the mother of custody without affording her the procedural safeguards to which the mother was entitled under our child neglect laws.