L.S. v. Department of Children & Family Services

KELLY, Judge.

L.S., the mother, appeals from a final judgment terminating her parental rights to her children, H.S. and S.S. The mother argues that the trial court abused its discretion in refusing to allow her to appear by telephone to explain her absence from the adjudicatory hearing and in deeming her nonappearance a consent to the termination of her parental rights. We agree and reverse.

The record reflects that the mother’s counsel appeared at the scheduled adjudicatory hearing and informed the court that the mother was out of state and unable to personally appear at the hearing because of…