In re Ariella M.

Syllabus

The respondent father appealed from the trial court's judgment terminating his parental rights with respect to his minor children. He claimed, inter alia, that the court improperly determined that he had failed to achieve the requisite degree of personal rehabilitation required by statute (§ 17a-112 (j) (3) (B) (i)). Held: This court determined that there was no practical relief it could afford the respondent father with respect to his claim that the trial court improperly found that he was unable or unwilling to benefit from efforts by the Depart- ment of Children and Families to reunify him with his children, as the father's claim was rendered moot because he challenged only one of the two independent bases in § 17a-112 (j) (1) for upholding the court's determination that the department had made reasonable reunification efforts without chal- lenging the court's finding that those efforts themselves were reasonable. The trial court's unchallenged factual findings, including findings regarding the respondent father's parenting ability, his failure to address the children's sexualized behavior and his volatile relationship with their mother, sup- ported the court's determination, by clear and convincing evidence, that the father had failed to achieve such a degree of personal rehabilitation pursuant to § 17a-112 (j) (3) (B) (i) as would encourage the belief that, within a reasonable time, considering the children's ages and needs, he could assume a responsible caretaking and parentlng position in their lives. The trial court properly determined, on the basis of abundant evidence in the record, that termination of the respondent father's parental rights was in the children's best interests, as the father did not challenge any of the court's findings in support of its best interest determination, including its In accordance with the spirit and intent of General Statutes § 46b-142 (b) and Practice Book § 79a-12, the names of the parties involved in this appeal are not d