In re D.A.
S.A. (Mother) appeals from the order made at the Welfare and Institutions Code section 366.26 hearing (hereafter the .26 hearing)[1] terminating her parental rights to her three children: D.A., X.I., and G.I.[2] X.I. and G.I. were placed with a paternal aunt who wanted to adopt them. Mother contends the juvenile court abused its discretion by denying a motion to continue the .26 hearing, originally made by the Orange County Social Services Agency (SSA), when it learned the agency conducting the paternal aunt’s adoption home study had declined to proceed with it. SSA requested additional time to further assess whether the paternal aunt’s home study could be approved. Mother also contends the lack of an approved home study established the paternal aunt was unable to adopt the children, but because the paternal aunt could provide them with a stable and permanent home and removal of the children from her care would be detrimental, the juvenile court erred by not applying the relative caregiver exception to termination of parental rights. (§ 366.26, subd. (c)(A).)
SSA has filed a motion to dismiss the appeal as moot accompanied by a motion to take additional evidence and augment the record on appeal with a postjudgment status review report and the juvenile court’s minute order approving SSA’s recommendations contained in the report. SSA reported the paternal aunt’s adoption home study has been completed and approved, and her adoption of the children is ready to be finalized. Mother opposes SSA’s motions. We conclude augmentation of the record on appeal is appropriate, and in view of the subsequent events, Mother’s appeal is moot. Accordingly, we dismiss the appeal.
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