In the Interest of S. P.

There was clear and convincing evidence supporting the termination of a mother's parental rights to her minor child and the award of permanent custody to the Department of Family and Children Services to be placed for adoption, as well as the juvenile court's refusal to appoint the child's maternal grandmother as her permanent guardian.

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In these appeals, the mother of minor child S. P. appeals from two orders of the juvenile court: an order terminating her parental rights and awarding permanent custody to the Department of Family and Children Services DFCS to be placed for adoption Case No. A15A2016, and an order declining to appoint the girl’s maternal grandmother as her permanent guardian Case No. A15A2015. She argues that the evidence compelled different rulings from the juvenile court. Because the evidence authorized both rulings, we affirm.

As an initial matter, we note that Georgia’s new Juvenile Code, which applies to juvenile proceedings commenced on or after January 1, 2014, see Ga. L. 2013, p. 294, § 5-1, applies to these cases. Case No. A15A2016 concerns a termination proceeding that commenced on July 3, 2014, when DFCS filed a petition to terminate the mother’s parental rights. See In the Interest of C.J. V., 333 Ga. App. 844, 848 2 777 SE2d 692 2015 applying new Juvenile Code to termination decision because termination petition was filed in 2014. See also OCGA § 15-11-16 a 3 a proceeding under the new Juvenile Code may be commenced . . . by the filing of a complaint or a petition as provided in Article. . . 4 . . . of the new Juvenile Code, among other ways; OCGA § 15-11-280 section within Article 4 of the new Juvenile Code providing for the filing of a petition to terminate parental rights. Case No. A15A2015 concerns a third party’s motion to intervene in that termination proceeding for the purpose of being appointed permanent guardian of the child. Compare In the Interest of J. M. L., __ Ga. App. __ __ SE2d __ Case No. A15A2359, decided March 29, 2016 old Juvenile Code applied to permanent guardianship decision made in response to motion filed in 2014 in deprivation proceeding that had been commenced before January 1, 2014.

In the Interest of S. P.

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