Department of Social & Health Services v. Mattson

A parent has a right to a meaningful opportunity to be heard at a hearing to terminate parental rights. But that right is not self-executing. A parent must take reasonable and timely steps to exercise the right to be heard. Here, Robert Mattson failed to timely exercise his right to be heard in the termination hearing. And because balancing of the established due process factors in this case shows that Mattson’s parental interests were properly protected, we affirm.

M.S. and B.S are twin sisters born in March 1995. About a year later, they were placed in shelter care because their mother’s…