In re Corey C.

Syllabus

The respondent father appealed to this court from the judgment of the trial court terminating his parental rights with respect to his minor child. The father claimed, inter alia, that the court erred in concluding that he failed to achieve a sufficient degree of personal rehabilitation, as required by statute (§ 17a-112 (j) (3) (B) (i)), that would encourage the belief that, within a reasonable time, he could assume a responsible position in the child's life. He further claimed that the Department of Children and Families did not make reasonable efforts to reunify him with the child. The child previously had been adjudicated neglected, committed to the care and custody of the petitioner, the Commissioner of Children and Families, and, thereafter, placed with foster parents. During the neglect proceeding, the father was issued specific steps to take to bring about his reunification with the child. As part of its efforts to reunify the father with the child, the department referred the family to a therapeutic family time program to improve their parenting skills and ability to interact with each other and with the child. A worker with that program provided the parents with materials on the effects of thirdhand smoke and reviewed the materials with them in their weekly meetings in order to address the effects of the mother's heavy smoking on the child's asthmatic condition. The trial court found that the depart- ment had made reasonable efforts to reunify the child with the father but that he was unable or unwilling to benefit from those efforts. Held: 1. The evidence was sufficient to support the trial court's finding that, under the totality of the facts and circumstances, the department made reasonable efforts to reunify the respondent father with the child and that he was unable or unwilling to benefit from its reunification efforts: a. The department offered the parents adequate feedback with respect to their participation in the therapeutic family time program, a