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In re A.L.B.7/6/2005
I. Factual Background
The parents in the case are married and have given birth to three children: A.L.B. on 10/26/96, N.W.B. on 5/24/98, and C.B.B. on 4/5/00. Mother and Father are uneducated and extremely poor. The family first came to the attention of DCS in March of 2000 when a referral was made. The reason for the referral turned out to be without basis; however, at that time, the DCS worker made a note of the poor living conditions in the home. It was noted that the children were dirty, the house had an odor of garbage, there were many caged animals in the house and animal feces was found on the floor. The refrigerator was extremely dirty, and food and garbage were lying all around the house. The house in which the family was living belonged to the paternal grandmother, and many of the animals living in the home were raised by her for resale. The house itself was extremely old and in need of numerous repairs. It had only one closet, no phone and no central air or heat; however, it did have working plumbing, running water, a bathroom, electricity, a refrigerator, and a useable kitchen. At that time, Mother was pregnant with the youngest child, C.B.B. DCS met with the parents to discuss their living conditions and made several home visits over the next few months. Some improvements were made in the living conditions during that time, and DCS did not pursue further action. The file on the family was closed thereafter.
A second referral was made in December 2001. The living conditions in the house were again found to be extremely bad. DCS made a referral for the family to receive in-home services beginning in December 2001 and closed their file again in January or February 2002 with the in-home services ongoing. The Southeast Community Services Agency provided these services; however, there was very little testimony as to what these services entailed. The Agency workers provided cleaning supplies and assistance with cleaning, but no other specifics were evidenced regarding the assistance provided in the home. The Agency also assisted the family in obtaining their own apartment. No Agency reports from this period were placed in evidence. The Agency workers mostly testified to some of the problems they witnessed at the Grandmother's house including the extreme poverty of the family, very little food in the house, dog feces on the floors, and general filth and clutter everywhere. After moving to the new apartment, the Agency workers also testified to the rapidly deteriorating condition of the apartment.
The family moved into a public housing apartment towards the end of April 2002. During the first few months after moving, Mother stated that she suffered from a back injury following her pregnancy. She was also attending class from 8:00 a.m. till 12:00p.m. in an attempt to obtain her GED, in addition to being primary care giver to the three small children. Father, who had previously been a shade tree mechanic at his mother's house, stated that he was unable to work or assist with many household duties due to a knee injury that required surgery. The family was living off of food stamps and other assistance. In July of 2002, the DCS case worker returned to check on the family and found the apartment to be a mess. The family was given another warning. The DCS worker again returned in August and still found numerous environmental problems including general filth and clutter, dirty children, and soiled diapers and trash lying around. The children were removed from the parents on August 30, 2002.
A parenting plan was put into place on September 18, 2002 with the goal of reunification. The parents' goals were to attend parenting classes, obtain jobs or otherwise establi
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