The juvenile court terminated the natural mother’s rights to her 8-year-old daughter, U. G. The mother appeals, contending that the state failed to prove that termination of her rights was in the child’s best interest and that the child was improperly placed with her paternal grandmother.1 For the reasons that follow, we affirm.On appeal from an order terminating parental rights, we review the evidence in the light most favorable to the juvenile court’s judgment in order to determine whether any rational trier of fact could have found by clear and convincing evidence that the natural parent’s rights to custody have been lost. We neither weigh evidence nor determine witness credibility, but defer to the juvenile court’s findings of fact and affirm unless the appellate standard is not met.Citation and punctuation omitted. In the Interest of A. G ., 287 Ga. App. 732 652 SE2d 616 2007. So viewed, the record reflects that on April 29, 2003, U. G.,2 then three years old, was taken into emergency shelter care because appellant had failed to undergo drug treatment in accordance with the terms of the juvenile court’s previously entered consent protective order. The Fulton County Department of Family and Children Services “DFCS” filed a deprivation petition as to U. G. in May 2003, alleging that U. G. was without proper parental care or supervision because appellant was abusing drugs and refusing drug treatment, was unemployed and had no income, and was unable to provide stable housing for U. G. The deprivation petition referenced appellant’s refusal to comply with the prior protective order.
The juvenile court subsequently held a probable cause hearing, which appellant failed to attend. The court then entered an order holding that probable cause existed to find U. G. deprived, due in main part to appellant’s refusal to comply with the prior protective order. The court awarded temporary legal custody of U. G. to DFCS.