Court allows supervised and unsupervised parenting time as father progresses toward reunification

At a third review and permanency planning hearing in Lenawee County Probate & Juvenile Court, the judge accepted the department's court report and authorized both supervised and unsupervised parenting time for Charles Thomas Sherwood while children remain placed with nonrespondent caregivers. The court asked the department to follow the therapist's recommendations for the oldest child and set the next review for July 22 at 1:30 p.m.

The decision followed testimony from social worker Christopher Farian, the department's counsel Sasha Thomas, the children's guardian ad litem Carson Howard, the juvenile's attorney Michael Brooks and the children's father, Charles Thomas Sherwood. Farian told the court the department filed a court report with attachments including a Parkside report and a therapeutic-visitation closing summary; all documents were received into the record without objection.

The judge said the —2goal of reunification is clearly supported by the reasonable efforts—2 described in the department report and by service providers, and therefore authorized a progression to supervised and unsupervised parenting time to test reunification while preserves current placements.

Discussion: providers and attorneys described recent services and remaining barriers. Farian reported the father has participated in therapeutic visitation and met regularly with his caseworker; he also said the oldest child is attending individual counseling and services are expected to continue. The father testified he is completing a 26-week anger-management program and that he had short jail time of about six to seven days related to prior criminal matters. He described employment and said he provided his employer's name to the department but had not provided pay stubs.

Carson Howard, the guardian ad litem, praised the progress and urged continuation of individualized counseling and unsupervised parenting time for the younger children. Howard said, —2I'm excited about the progress that dad and the oldest have made,—2 and recommended continued therapeutic support.

Michael Brooks, attorney for the 14-year-old juvenile (identified in court papers as Colton Sherwood), said the child's goals originally differed from the department's but that, at the hearing, the child no longer wished to live with his former stepparent and was —2comfortable where he is at—2 living with his grandfather.

The father, Charles Thomas Sherwood, testified he wants to reunify with his children but acknowledged legal and logistical hurdles. He told the court, —2I just wanna be able to get back to the me and the family, my whole household, not just individually.—2 Sherwood also described cost barriers to attending individual counseling, estimating about $150 per person per visit and saying that paying for two households strains his finances.

Caseworker Farian confirmed the department supports unsupervised parenting time for the two younger children and described the therapeutic visitation program as progressing from supervised to unsupervised visits. Farian said he had recently provided additional documentation to the court, including the therapeutic-visitation closing summary.

Several speakers noted an unresolved no-contact order in Jackson County involving the mother's other child; the father and counsel said that matter must be resolved in Jackson County before full reunification of the household could occur. Farian and others said the friend-of-the-court in Jackson County had deferred a custody filing until this case's review is completed.

Court action and next steps: the court accepted the department's report and attachments, authorized supervised and unsupervised parenting time consistent with provider recommendations (including recommendations from Ms. Langan for the oldest child), instructed the department to consider a family-team meeting to plan the transition and set a further review hearing for July 22 at 1:30 p.m. The court reiterated that placements with the nonrespondent caregivers remain in place during the next reporting period. Michael Brooks asked to be dismissed as counsel for the juvenile but agreed to remain for one more review period at the court's suggestion.

The hearing separated areas of discussion from court direction: the record shows discussion about counseling availability, school and living arrangements, and service attendance; the court's written orders (entered after the hearing) are limited to the acceptance of reports, the parenting-time authorization, the directive to follow Ms. Langan's recommendations for the oldest child and the scheduling of the next review.

The court will review progress on supervised and unsupervised parenting time, continued counseling for the children and the father's efforts to secure individual counseling and to resolve the Jackson County custody/no-contact matter at the July review.