MOTHER FAILED TO SHOW PROGRESS
After her parental rights were terminated, Kiarra appealed to the Appellate Division, Fourth Department.
And on its review of the record, the AD4 reiterated that when it comes to a suspended judgment more than "literal compliance" is required. Among other things, a parent is required to “show that progress has been made to overcome the specific problems which led to the removal of the child.”
Given that the AD4 was unimpressed with the mother’s failure to “verify her income, … to sign necessary consent forms for the child, and missed several scheduled visits,” and that the paramount consideration was the youngster’s “best interests,” it felt it had little choice but to conclude that termination was appropriate and let the underlying determination stand.
That put an end to that.
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DECISION