The Juvenile Court of Bacon County terminated the parental rights of the mother and father of four-year-old J. A.1 The father appeals, challenging the sufficiency of the evidence. Finding no error, we affirm. The Georgia Code sets forth a two-step process to be used in termination of parental rights cases. First, the trial court determines “whether there is present clear and convincing evidence of parental misconduct or inability.” OCGA § 15-11-94 a. Four factors must be present to establish parental misconduct or inability: 1 the child must be deprived, that is, “without proper parental care or control, subsistence, education as required by law, or other care or control necessary for the child’s physical, mental, or emotional health or morals”2; 2 the lack of proper parental care or control by the parent in question must cause the deprivation; 3 the cause of the deprivation must be likely to continue; and 4 continued deprivation must be likely to cause the child serious physical, mental, emotional, or moral harm. OCGA § 15-11-94 b 4 A i-iv. If the trial court finds that these four factors exist, then the court determines whether termination of parental rights is in the best interest of the child, “after considering the physical, mental, emotional, and moral condition and needs of the child. . . , including the need for a secure and stable home.” OCGA § 15-11-94 a.
On appeal from an order terminating parental rights, we must determine whether, after reviewing the evidence in a light most favorable to the lower court’s judgments, any rational trier of fact could have found by clear and convincing evidence that the natural parent’s rights to custody have been lost. This Court neither weighs evidence nor determines the credibility of witnesses; rather, we defer to the trial court’s fact-finding and affirm unless the appellate standard is not met. Citation omitted. In the Interest of C. R. G. , 272 Ga. App. 161, 161-162 611 SE2d 784 2005. “In determining the balance of the interests of the children against parental rights, the juvenile court is vested with broad discretion which will not be controlled on appeal in the absence of manifest abuse, where the ruling is supported by clear and convincing evidence.” Citations omitted. In Interest of W. J. J. , 176 Ga. App. at 826.
