CHINS: M V v. Indiana Department of Child Services

── CHINS: M V v. Indiana Department of Child Services ── Court: Indiana Court of Appeals Date: April 16, 2026 Author: Leanna Weissmann Category: General FILED Apr 16 2026, 9:10 am CLERK Indiana Supreme Court Court of Appeals and Tax Court IN THE Court of Appeals of Indiana In the Matter of G.V. and A.V., Children in Need of Services, and M.V., (Mother), Appellant-Respondent v. Indiana Department of Child Services, et al. Appellee-Petitioner April 16, 2026 Court of Appeals Case No. 25A-JC-1223 Appeal from the Marion Superior Court The Honorable Geoffrey A. Gaither, Judge Trial Court Cause No. 49D09-2501-JC-331 49D09-2501-JC-333 Opinion by Judge DeBoer Court of Appeals of Indiana | Opinion 25A-JC-1223 | April 16, 2026 Page 1 of 25  Judges Bradford and Weissmann concur. DeBoer, Judge. [1] M.V. (Mother) appeals the trial court's determination that her daughter, G.V., is a Child in Need of Services (CHINS) and its subsequent dispositional decree. She presents multiple arguments on appeal: (1) the Department of Child Services (DCS) failed to prove that: (A) G.V. was seriously endangered, and (B) the court’s coercive intervention was necessary; and (2) the court abused its discretion in finding in its dispositional decree that: (A) DCS made reasonable efforts to prevent G.V.’s removal, and (B) it was in G.V.’s best interests that she be removed from Mother’s care. Finding no error, we affirm. Facts and Procedural History [2] Mother has four children, two of whom were the subjects of the underlying CHINS proceedings. A.V. (born on May 15, 2015) is the daughter of Mother and M.M. (Father M). G.V. (born on January 2, 2024) is the daughter of Court of Appeals of Indiana | Opinion 25A-JC-1223 | April 16, 2026 Page 2 of 25  Mother and A.J. (Father J). 1 Mother had legal and physical custody of G.V. and unsupervised visits with A.V. 2 [3] In January 2025, DCS received a report that Mother was physically abusing A.V. The report involved an incident that occurred while she was staying with Mother over her 2024 holiday break. A.V. told DCS that Mother took her into the bathroom, yelled and cussed at her, held her down, pulled her hair, and hit her with a slipper. A.V. had a scratch on her forehead, and she reported having another on her back. At the insistence of DCS, Father M took A.V. to the hospital two days later to be examined. The examination revealed bruising and scratches on A.V.’s arm and leg, a faint bruise on her right cheek, and a scratch on her forehead. [4] A.V. also told DCS that she “saw [Mother] smack [G.V.] on the leg” and that “[i]t was loud and left a red mark.” Appellant's Appendix Vol. 2 at 31. When a DCS family case manager (FCM) visited Mother’s home to follow up on these reports, she observed a goose egg on G.V.’s head. Mother said the two girls had been