Albright, Justice, concurring in part and dissenting in part:
I concur with the majority's
determination that the decision of the lower court in this matter should be
reversed. The Department of Health and Human Resources presented evidence
in the adjudicatory phase sufficient to warrant a finding of neglect. The
determination of the appropriate next step, however, is the focus of my disagreement
with the majority opinion.
While the extreme circumstances
of this case may indeed warrant termination of parental rights, that determination
must be made in conformity with the procedures outlined in the West Virginia
Code, the West Virginia Rule of Procedure for Child Abuse and Neglect Proceedings,
and the numerous opinions authored by this Court. As an appellate tribunal,
this Court does not have authority to issue such a determination where the
lower court has not proceeded to the dispositional hearing phase.
(See footnote 1)
The timely, effective, and detailed procedures enumerated by statute, rule, and judicial opinion must
be observed. As this Court so distinctly stated in syllabus point two of In
re Beth Ann B., 204 W.Va. 424, 513 S.E.2d 472 (1998), “In a child
abuse and/or neglect proceeding, even where the parties have stipulated to
the predicate facts necessary for a termination of parental rights, a circuit
court must hold a disposition hearing, in which the specific inquiries enumerated
in Rules 33 and 35 of the Rules of Procedure for Child Abuse and Neglect
Proceedings are made, prior to terminating an individual's parental rights.”
This Court explicitly stated
in syllabus point two of In re Willis, 157 W.Va. 225, 207 S.E.2d 129
(1973), that this is an issue of constitutional dimension: “West Virginia
Code, Chapter 49, Article 6, Section 2, as amended, and the Due Process Clauses
of the West Virginia and United States Constitutions prohibit a court or other
arm of the State from terminating the parental rights of a natural parent
having legal custody of his child, without notice and the opportunity for
a meaningful hearing.”
This Court has characterized
a dispositional hearing as a “mandatory prerequisite” to the termination
of parental rights. Beth Ann B., 204 W.Va. at 428, 513 S.E.2d at 476. In our recent decision in State ex rel. Chastity D. v.
Hill, 207 W.Va. 358, 532 S.E.2d 358 (2000), we held that “even where
there are written relinquishments of parental rights, the circuit court is
required to conduct a disposition hearing, pursuant to West Virginia Code
§ 49-6-5 (1999) and Rules 33 and 35 of the West Virginia Rules of Procedure
for Child Abuse and Neglect Proceedings. . . .” Id. at 364, 532
S.E.2d at 364.
These
rules and statutory guidelines are essential, and this Court has consistently
treated them as mandatory. In syllabus point five of In re Edward B.,
___ W.Va. ___, ___ S.E.2d ___, 2001 WL 1402147 (No. 28732, Nov. 8, 2001),
this Court recently explained as follows: I am authorized to state
that Justice Starcher joins in this concurring and dissenting opinion.
Where
it appears from the record that the process established by the Rules of Procedure
for Child Abuse and Neglect Proceedings and related statutes for the disposition
of cases involving children adjudicated to be abused or neglected has been
substantially disregarded or frustrated, the resulting order of disposition
will be vacated and the case remanded for compliance with that process and
entry of an appropriate dispositional order.
Neither the lower court system
nor the Department of Health and Human Resources should interpret the majority
decision as an excuse to disregard the guidance provided by this Court or the
requirements enumerated by statute and rule with regard to dispositional hearings.
Egregious facts adduced on the issue of disposition may indeed justify termination
of parental rights. However, it is not a determination to be made here at this time. This Court should require adherence to the procedural and substantive
protections provided by the Constitution, our statutes, court rules and cases.
Accordingly, I respectfully dissent from the portion of the majority opinion
which directs the lower court to terminate parental rights. To comply with
the mandates of statute, rule, and this Court, the lower court must hold a
dispositional hearing prior to termination.
Footnote: 1
The
statutory scheme applicable in child abuse and neglect proceedings provides
for an essentially two phase process. The first phase culminates in an adjudication
of abuse and/or neglect. The second phase is a dispositional one, undertaken
to achieve the appropriate permanent placement of a child adjudged to be abused and/or neglected.
Id. at 427, 513 S.E.2d at 475 (citations omitted).