Court Opinion

ID: 9885041
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-10-06 03:28:19.298696+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:48:43.453283
License: Public Domain

HUSPENI, Judge
(dissenting).
I respectfully dissent and would reverse the termination of parental rights adjudication. I agree with the majority that our scope of review in these cases is broad, and a review of the record convinces me that the evidence before the trial court was not clear and convincing and did not support a determination that this parent-child relationship must be irrevocably ruptured.
Appellant surely is not a perfect father. If that were the standard, few children would be reared by natural parents. He has no burden to prove his fitness, however. It is the state which must show that he has substantially, continuously, or repeatedly refused to fulfill his parental duties or that he is unfit, that he has failed to correct the conditions leading to the dependency of the minor child, or that the child is neglected and in foster care. I submit none of these conditions was demonstrated by clear and convincing evidence. Instead, I believe the record demonstrates reasonable efforts by a father whose child was removed from the home during the father’s absence, to comply with the changing standards and demands placed upon him.
Social service agency caseworkers often face frustration on a daily basis as they work with parents in dysfunctional families. Initially the caseworker may be called upon to establish a case plan. Next, substantial effort may be expended to assist and encourage the parent to meet case plan goals so that parent and child may be reunited. In a substantial number of cases, progress in meeting case plan goals is slow or nonexistent. At some point in such eases, the caseworker may consider commencement of a termination of parental rights proceeding. Can a caseworker both continue efforts to assist a parent to meet case plan goals and reunite a separated family, and simultaneously document the failure to meet those same case plan goals in order to support a petition for termination of parental rights? The answer, at least in this case, should be “no.”
By way of illustration, it appears that the issue of appellant’s visitation with the minor child was of substantial importance to the caseworkers in deciding that appellant’s parental rights should be terminated. However, I am concerned that while appellant’s participation in fifty percent of the scheduled visitations was deemed acceptable when caseworker efforts were concentrated on facilitating reunion of father and child, this same level of compliance was deemed unacceptable after the decision had been made to go forward with a termination of parental rights proceeding.
There are other indications in the record, I believe, which substantiate the “changing rules” associated with appellant’s involvement with the county’s personnel.1 When *920the projected result of caseworker involvement was reunification of this family, appellant’s activity appears to have been measured by a generous yardstick and termed “progress.” However, when the county’s focus shifted and the projected result of caseworker involvement became termination of appellant's parental rights, this same activity appears to have been measured by a far harsher yardstick and termed “failure.”
In expressing these concerns, I do not minimize the fact that county welfare agencies often have severely limited resources —both human and monetary — and must avoid unnecessary duplication of caseworker involvement in any individual case. However, I urge consideration and implementation of policies which would assure that caseworkers are not forced to pursue simultaneously two inconsistent goals: reunification of a dysfunctional family and documentation of evidence to support a termination of parental rights proceeding. Such pursuit serves neither the rights of the parents nor the best interests of the minor child.

. For example, two psychological evaluations of appellant were conducted. The first, dated February 28, 1985, states that appellant was referred "to aid in case planning and as part of a custody study.” The second evaluation, dated July 8, 1986, states that appellant was referred "as a step in preparing for a review by the court later this year with respect to possible termination of parental rights." In addition, during the termination of parental rights proceeding, *920the caseworkers appeared to place emphasis on appellant’s inability to engage in appropriate play with the minor child or to progress beyond a "playmate” stage to a "parenting” one. Yet, appellant was described in earlier caseworker reports as using some "suggestions given him regarding appropriate play with [the minor child] when outdoors. * * * This was a major improvement over the usual routine of horsie back rides, wrestling, running and screaming like two little children.”