San Bernardino County’s child protective agencies and juvenile courts have frequently added unnecessary uncertainty and delay by not investigating claims of Native American ancestry as required by law, a panel from the Fourth Appellate District, Division Two, said in a published opinion March 23.
San Bernardino County Children and Family Services (CFS) failed to investigate a 9-year-old and 2-year-old’s Native American claims when they sought to terminate their parents’ parental rights, and San Bernardino Superior Court failed their duties by terminating the parents’ rights despite CFS’ lack of investigation, the panel ruled.
The panel counted 19 similar cases, resolved by the Fourth District Court of Appeal, from
