Arkansas Department of Human Services v. Southerland

I respectfully dissent from the majority opinion and, with due regard, disagree with one aspect of the dissenting opinion of the honorable Judge Meads. Before addressing my concerns and the findings of the other opinions, I believe that it is necessary to clarify some undisputed facts in this case that were omitted by the majority opinion.

DHS was relieved from providing services to the father of the juvenile, Charlie Smith, on October 9, 1996. Based on the limited abstract before us, it appears that DHS had been responsible for the care and custody of Charlie since October 9, 1996. We are…