In re Philip S.

—In a proceeding to terminate parental rights pursuant to Social Services Law § 384-b, the petitioner Suffolk County Department of Social Services appeals from an order of the Family Court, Suffolk County (Simeone, J.), entered October 13, 1999, which, after a fact-finding hearing, dismissed the proceeding.

Ordered that the order is reversed, on the law and the facts, with costs, the petition is granted, and the matter is remitted to the Family Court, Suffolk County, for further proceedings, including a dispositional hearing.

The Family Court improperly dismissed the instant petition to…