In the Interest of S.S. v. State, Department of Children & Families

BLUE, Judge.

J.S., the mother of S.S. and C.S., appeals the final order terminating parental rights to her two children. Because the record does not support the order and the trial court improperly shifted the burden of proof in assessing the best interests of the children, we reverse and remand for further proceedings.

Although we reverse, we recognize that the mother’s attitude made this a difficult case for the Department of Children and Family Services and for the trial court. The problems in the relationship between J.S. and the Department began with the original dependency petition…