In Re Term of Parental Rights as to S.B.

── In Re Term of Parental Rights as to S.B. ── Court: Court of Appeals of Arizona Date: June 03, 2026 Category: General NOTICE: NOT FOR OFFICIAL PUBLICATION. UNDER ARIZONA RULE OF THE SUPREME COURT 111(c), THIS DECISION IS NOT PRECEDENTIAL AND MAY BE CITED ONLY AS AUTHORIZED BY RULE. IN THE ARIZONA COURT OF APPEALS DIVISION ONE IN RE TERMINATION OF PARENTAL RIGHTS AS TO S.B. No. 1 CA-JV 25-0198 FILED 06-03-2026 Appeal from the Superior Court in Maricopa County No. JD536153 The Honorable Jay M. Polk, Judge AFFIRMED COUNSEL Maricopa County Office of the Public Advocate, Mesa By Seth Draper Counsel for Appellant Mother Arizona Attorney General’s Office, Tucson By Toni Valadez-Kozub, Marika J. Hodge Counsel for Appellee Department of Child Safety MEMORANDUM DECISION Judge Jennifer M. Perkins delivered the decision of the Court, in which Presiding Judge Michael S. Catlett and Judge Angela K. Paton joined.  IN RE TERM OF PARENTAL RIGHTS AS TO S.B. Decision of the Court P E R K I N S, Judge: ¶1 Jade S. (“Mother”) appeals from the juvenile court’s December 2025 order terminating her parental rights to Sara (a pseudonym). The juvenile court also terminated the parental rights of Sara’s father, Semaj B., by separate order in October 2025, but he did not challenge the termination and is not a party to this appeal. Because Mother has not shown the court erred, we affirm. FACTS AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND ¶2 At the time of Sara’s birth, in September 2024, Mother tested positive for fentanyl, amphetamines, and methadone. The Department of Child Safety (“DCS”) arranged for Mother to be discharged with Sara under an in-home safety plan involving another adult supervising her contact with Sara while Mother participated in substance abuse treatment. ¶3 For the next two months, Mother continued to use substances and did not meaningfully engage in services. Between September 2024 and December 2024, Mother drug tested six times, each time positive, including for fentanyl, amphetamines, cocaine, methadone, and THC. She last tested in December 2024, missing at least 85 opportunities to test between September 2024 and August 2025. ¶4 By October 2024, DCS had determined the in-home safety plan was no longer appropriate, so it removed Sara from Mother’s custody and petitioned for dependency. ¶5 In December 2024, Mother pleaded no contest to the dependency petition. The juvenile court adjudicated Sara dependent as to Mother and approved a case plan of family reunification. DCS continued to offer Mother reunification services, substance abuse treatment, drug testing, supervised parenting time, transportation, and case management, but Mother did not participate in substance abuse treatment with any provider. She reported to DCS that she intended to enter a detox center but never did. In March 2025, she began but never finished the intake process at an inpatient program. ¶6 Mother also mostly ignored the other reunification services, never responding to outreach efforts to help her with parenting and housing resources. Her first two referrals for supervised parenting time were closed because she cancelled or rescheduled visits or did not respond 2  IN RE TERM OF PARENTAL RIGHTS AS TO S.B. Decision of the Court to the visit supervisor. On her third referral, in June 2025, she attended some of the visits but often arrived late or appeared intoxicated. ¶7 In July 2025, the juvenile court changed the case plan to severance and adoption, and in August, DCS moved to terminate Mother’s parental rights on substance abuse and six-months out-of-hom