In re Austin C.

Syllabus

The respondent mother appealed from the trial court's judgment terminating her parental rights with respect to her minor child. The mother claimed, inter alia, that the court improperly determined that the Department of Children and Families made reasonable efforts to reunify her with her child. Held: The trial court reasonably could have concluded, on the basis of the evidence presented at trial, that the department made reasonable efforts to reunify the respondent mother with the child, as the department provided the mother with supervised visitation and therapeutic family time, made referrals for parenting education, and made reasonable efforts to engage the mother in mental health and substance abuse treatments, and the mother repeatedly refused to engage with the department by, inter alia, refusing to sign releases that would have allowed the department to communicate with her health care providers and to make referrals for specific services. Argued September 2—officially released October 22, 2025