In re W.C. CA1/1

Filed 9/21/16 In re W.C. CA1/1 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

FIRST APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION ONE

In re W.C., a Person Coming Under the Juvenile Court Law.

ALAMEDA COUNTY SOCIAL SERVICES AGENCY, Plaintiff and Respondent, A148265 v. (Alameda County W.C., Super. Ct. No. 0J15024692) Defendant and Appellant.

STATEMENT OF FACTS W.C. was born in Guatemala in 1997. He lived in Guatemala with his grandparents from an early age, because his mother was dead and his father missing. Eventually, W.C. left Guatemala because of threats to his safety and came to the United States. He arrived in this country alone, with no parental support, in the summer of 2014. At the border, W.C. was taken into protective custody by American officials and eventually placed with a distant relative in Oakland in August 2014. The relative agreed to sponsor W.C. for asylum, but their relationship became difficult and W.C. left that residence, becoming homeless in October 2014. Living on his own in Oakland presented W.C. with several problems. He had difficulty in school and developed behavior issues, including cutting and drug use. He

was taken to Children’s Hospital in Oakland for a Welfare and Institutions Code1 section 5150 assessment after cutting himself at school. However, he was denied treatment because he lacked insurance and had no legal guardian available to approve mental assessments. W.C. lived at the Dream Catcher’s Youth Services shelter after February 2015. At the end of the month, he told the Alameda County Social Service Agency (Agency) he was living with a friend, working, and paying rent. Eventually, W.C. was suspended from school because he was under the influence of drugs, possessed a knife, and engaged in theft from a local store. On April 13, 2015, W.C. told school officials he needed to go into protective custody. W.C. first appeared before the juvenile court on April 15, 2015, when the Agency filed a petition alleging appellant came under section 300, subdivision (g). The Agency alleged he was abandoned, because his parents were not known, he was no longer living with any sponsor, and had no means of support. A detention hearing in this matter took place on April 17, 2015. Its purpose was to assess whether the Agency could establish a prima facie case for detaining W.C. The court ordered him detained, with temporary placement and care provided by the Agency until further hearing by the juvenile court. On April 30, 2015, the Agency filed a jurisdiction report with the court. On the same day, the trial court conducted a jurisdictional hearing. The court found there was prima facie evidence W.C. was a person covered by section 300, subdivision (g). The court set a dispositional hearing for May 26, 2015. Importantly, on May 1, 2015, W.C. turned 18. The Agency did prepare a report for the hearing on May 26. It recommended the dependency be dismissed because W.C. was now 18 and to date the juvenile court