F.M. v. Department of Children & Families

I would remand for a new hearing. The appellant grandmother had court-ordered supervised visitation for her three minor grandchildren. She filed a motion seeking to be granted more liberal unsupervised visitation.

In the meantime, the appellee Department of Children and Family Services had obtained orders terminating the parental rights of the parents of the three grandchildren. By agreement of counsel, the trial court heard the grandmother’s request for additional visitation rights at the same time as the disposition hearing on the termination of parental rights.

At that hearing, the…