In re J.L.S.

[Cite as In re J.L.S., 2026-Ohio-1312.]



                                    IN THE COURT OF APPEALS

                           TWELFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT OF OHIO

                                          BUTLER COUNTY




 IN RE:                                              :
                                                                CASE NO. CA2025-11-124
     J.L.S.                                          :
                                                                      OPINION AND
                                                     :              JUDGMENT ENTRY
                                                                        4/13/2026
                                                     :

                                                     :



              APPEAL FROM BUTLER COUNTY COURT OF COMMON PLEAS
                              JUVENILE DIVISION
                             Case No. JN2023-0210


Michael T. Gmoser, Butler County Prosecuting Attorney, and Michael Greer, Assistant
Prosecuting Attorney, for appellee.

Garrett Law Offices, and Dawn S. Garrett, for appellant.

Legal Aid Society of Southwest Ohio, and Jamie Lee Landvatter, guardian ad litem.


                                             ___________
                                            OPINION


        SIEBERT, J.

        {¶ 1} Appellant, "Mother," appeals the decision of the Butler County Court of

Common Pleas, Juvenile Division, granting permanent custody of her son, John,1 to the



1. "John" is a pseudonym adopted for this opinion for the purposes of privacy and readability. See State v.
Cansler, 2025-Ohio-2558, ¶ 1, fn. 1 (12th Dist.); Supreme Court of Ohio Writing Manual 115 (3rd Ed. 2024).
This opinion uses pseudonyms for all children referenced.
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Butler County Department of Jobs and Family Services ("the Agency"). Mother asserts

with her two assignments of error that the juvenile court's decision is against the manifest

weight of the evidence and that she received ineffective assistance of counsel when her

trial attorney failed to file a motion on behalf of a relative for John to be placed with that

relative. We overrule both assignments of error. Despite Mother's commendable and

demonstrated progress to address her substance abuse and other issues, it was not

against the manifest weight of the evidence to grant permanent custody to the Agency.

We cannot summarize the reasons for this any better than the magistrate did:

              Mother started this case at a legal disadvantage because her
              parental rights had been involuntarily terminated regarding
              [John's] sibling. She compounded this disadvantage by
              deciding that it would be best for her to relocate to Rhode
              Island, leaving [John] here in Ohio in the care of the [S]tate.
              That decision, coupled with her decision to remain in Rhode
              Island and to rely on the possibility of an [interstate] placement
              profoundly and negatively affected her ability to form a
              parental bond with John and permitted, by her voluntary
              absence, that bond to be formed with the foster family.

We also find no ineffective assistance of counsel because, even if we agreed that trial

counsel's performance was deficient for not filing a motion for custody on behalf of a

relative (which we do not), Mother admits one can only speculate on how the court would

have ruled on such a motion. Mother did not meet her burden to demonstrate she

suffered prejudice as a result of the allegedly deficient assistance of counsel.

                                        Background

       {¶ 2} The underlying facts of this case are largely uncontested. Mother has given

birth to five children, of which John is the fourth. This case is not her first contact with the

Agency or with children's services in general. Two of Mother's children were involved in

proceedings in Rhode Island that resulted in their open adoption by their maternal

grandmother. In November 2022, the Agency received permanent custody of John's


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elder sibling, "Alice." Mother gave birth to John on June 21, 2023. Mother admitted to

illicit drug use during her pregnancy with John, and while initial results were negative,

John showed signs of drug withdrawal and was placed in a neonatal intensive care unit

(NICU). Mother testified that she left the hospital against medical advice and that she

expected the Agency would get temporary custody of John due to her addiction. The

Agency took temporary custody of John on June 23, 2023, and the trial court

subsequently found him to be both an abused and dependent child.2 It should be noted

that John's biological father took no active role in this case and did not appear at any

court dates due to warrants related to theft offenses. However, Father has lived with

Mother during most of the proceedings.

        {¶ 3} Mother's case plan with the Agency (filed August 11, 2023) required her to

seek substance abuse and mental health services, obtain safe housing for herself and

John, and to maintain income. However, Mother moved to Rhode Island that same

month. Mother asserted she did so in order to get substance abuse treatment and to be

near family support, but Mother admitted she never sought out services in Ohio before

leaving the State. Mother also had no contact with John before going to Rhode Island.

        {¶ 4} While in Rhode Island, Mother completed intensive inpatient and outpatient

treatment.3 Mother did not engage with dedicated mental health services in Rhode Island

or Ohio beyond taking some initial assessments, but her substance abuse treatment

included some counselling to address mental health issues. Despite Mother's


2. An "abused child" means, for purposes of this case, a child who "[e]xhibits evidence of any physical or
mental injury . . . inflicted other than by accidental means . . . [and] [b]ecause of the acts of the child's
parents . . . suffers physical or mental injury that harms or threatens to harm the child's health or welfare."
R.C. 2151.031(D), (E). A "dependent child" means, for purposes of this case, a child "[w]hose condition or
environment is such as to warrant the state, in the interests of the child, in assuming the child's
guardianship." R.C. 2151.04(C).

3. Mother tested positive for Fentanyl while participating in that program, but it is unclear whether it was a
"false positive." Mother has, by all appearances, maintained sobriety from illicit drugs since her return to
Ohio.
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participation in the Rhode Island substance abuse programs, an Agency supervisor

familiar with this case testified "it was really difficult to communicate with the providers in

Rhode Island," and as a result the Agency "really [did not] know what was going on with

[Mother] or [Father]." While in Rhode Island, Mother had another child, "Carrie." Though

a Rhode Island children services case was opened as to Carrie, it was ultimately closed,

and there are no current cases regarding Mother's care of Carrie in any state.

       {¶ 5} Mother began video visits with John in November 2023. After Mother

returned to Ohio in September or October 2024, she began in-person visits with John in

November 2024. Mother leased a single bedroom in a home through her employer and

shared common spaces with another tenant that lived there. Mother originally lived there

with John's biological father as well as Carrie. While Father no longer lived there at the

time of the permanent custody hearing, she asserted that she planned to reunite with

him. Mother admitted that the house was not large enough to accommodate John should

she regain custody. However, Mother testified she applied for assistance to be placed in

more appropriate housing.

       {¶ 6} John remained in the Agency's custody throughout the proceedings, and

the Agency filed a motion for permanent custody in December 2024. From the beginning

of the case, the Agency placed John with the same foster family that adopted John's

elder sister Alice. That family intends to adopt John as well if the Agency maintains

permanent custody. John is bonded with the foster family, calling his foster parents

"mommy" and "daddy." John also bonded with the other children of his foster family,

which includes Alice.

       {¶ 7} Both Mother and Father visited John consistently after moving back to

Ohio. Those visits went reasonably well, though Mother and Father sometimes got into

arguments and needed to be redirected by visitation staff. No overnight visits were ever

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scheduled because Mother and Father were not engaged in local Agency-referred

services and because Father had active warrants out for his arrest. The Agency does

not contest that John and Mother are bonded, but an Agency supervisor testified "the

bond between the adults that take care of [John] on a regular basis that he lives with is

a different bond than what he is developing with [Mother]" during visits.

       {¶ 8} Though the Agency anticipated placing John with his foster family if it

received permanent custody, three home studies of paternal relatives were conducted

to see if they could serve as a possible placement for John. One paternal aunt's ("Aunt")

home study was approved. Aunt also visited John in person during the proceedings. At

the permanent custody hearing, Aunt testified that she wanted to see John "reunited with

his family" and agreed that "[i]t's important that [he] go to [Mother] and [Father]." Aunt

further testified she told both Mother and Father that she would work with the Agency to

have John placed with her, but they told her they were "working so that [they] could get

[John] back [themselves]." After the Agency denied another paternal aunt's home study,

Aunt testified she "spent a long time" trying to reach out to a social worker regarding

having John placed with her. Despite all of this, no motion was ever filed for John to be

placed with Aunt.

       {¶ 9} At the permanent custody hearing, the Agency argued it should be granted

permanent custody of John, noting that John's foster parents are effectively "the only

parents that he knows" after Mother and Father left him to go to Rhode Island. The

Agency also noted that since returning to Ohio, neither parent engaged in any services,

that Mother's rented space had no room for John, and that Mother did not have control

over who rented other space in the home and shared common areas. Mother, in turn,

asserted she had "done everything [she was] supposed to do" to show "that [she was]

not that same person" and could love and nurture John. Mother further asserted that

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"[the Agency] failed me and my son." John's guardian ad litem argued the Agency should

receive permanent custody of John and that Mother's actions were ultimately "too little,

too late."

       {¶ 10} The magistrate recommended the Agency's motion for permanent custody

be granted. Mother objected to the magistrate's recommendation, but the trial court

overruled the objections and adopted the magistrate's opinion.

       {¶ 11} This appeal followed.

             First Assignment of Error: Manifest Weight of the Evidence

                                    Standard of Review:

       {¶ 12} "An appellate court's review of a juvenile court's decision granting

permanent custody is generally limited to considering whether sufficient credible

evidence exists to support the juvenile court's determination." In re A.S., 2019-Ohio-

4127, ¶ 19 (12th Dist.). However, "[e]ven if there is sufficient evidence to support the

juvenile court's decision, an appellate court may nevertheless reverse a permanent

custody judgment if it finds the judgment to be against the manifest weight of the

evidence." In re G.A., 2023-Ohio-643, ¶ 18 (12th Dist.), citing In re F.S., 2021-Ohio-345,

¶ 61 (12th Dist.).

       {¶ 13} To determine whether a juvenile court's judgment is against the manifest

weight of the evidence, an appellate court "'weighs the evidence and all reasonable

inferences, considers the credibility of witnesses and determines whether in resolving

conflicts in the evidence, the finder of fact clearly lost its way and created such a manifest

miscarriage of justice that the judgment must be reversed and a new trial ordered.'" In re

S.M., 2019-Ohio-198, ¶ 16 (12th Dist.), quoting Eastley v. Volkman, 2012-Ohio-2179, ¶

20. The presumption in weighing the evidence favors the finder of fact, which we are

especially mindful of in custody cases. In re R.K., 2021-Ohio-3074, ¶ 15 (12th Dist.).

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Therefore, if the evidence is susceptible to more than one construction, the reviewing

court is bound to give it the interpretation that is consistent with the trial court's judgment.

In re D.S., 2022-Ohio-998, ¶ 63 (12th Dist.).

                                       Applicable Law

       {¶ 14} This court finds it necessary to provide an overview of the fundamental

rights at issue in this case, as well as the statutory scheme the Ohio legislature

developed to protect those fundamental rights. This overview will provide (1) an accurate

legal framework within which Mother's arguments can be addressed; and (2) an

explanation as to how certain statutory provisions within this framework weighed so

heavily against Mother.

           Balancing a Parent's Fundamental Rights with a Child's Wellbeing

       {¶ 15} We start with the constitutional principle that parents have a fundamental

right to raise their children, and this right is protected by both the United States and Ohio

Constitutions. See e.g., Stanley v. Illinois, 405 U.S. 645, 651-52 (1972); In re R.G.M.,

2024-Ohio-2737, ¶ 16. But just because a right is constitutionally protected as

"fundamental," does not mean that right is without limits. For example, freedom of speech

is unquestionably protected under both the federal and state constitutions. U.S. Const.,

amend. I; Ohio Const., art. I, § 11. Yet, certain categories of speech lie "fully outside the

protection of the First Amendment, . . . for example, . . . child pornography." United States

v. Stevens, 559 U.S. 460, 471 (2010). Why? Because child pornography is "intrinsically

related" to the underlying abuse of children. (Cleaned up.) Id. Likewise, a parent's

"fundamental" right to parent their children is limited because it is balanced against the

child's "basic rights to adequate care and to be free from abuse and neglect." In re

R.G.M. at ¶ 16. "Therefore, a parent's rights begin to wane once his or her child is found

to have suffered from abuse, neglect, or dependency." Id.

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                                                                                   Butler CA2025-11-124

        {¶ 16} Within the backdrop of balancing a parent's fundamental rights to raise

their children against a child's right to be free from abuse and neglect, the General

Assembly crafted a statutory scheme that seeks to protect both See generally R.C. Ch.

2151. That statutory scheme—which courts must "liberally interpret [] and construe []"—

seeks to "to effectuate the following purposes:"

                 (A) To provide for the care, protection, and mental and
                 physical development of children . . .whenever possible, in a
                 family environment, separating the child from the child's
                 parents only when necessary for the child's welfare or in the
                 interests of public safety;

                 (B) To provide judicial procedures through which . . . the
                 parties are assured of a fair hearing, and their constitutional
                 and other legal rights are recognized and enforced.

R.C. 2151.01.4

        {¶ 17} Consistent with the first purpose of the statute—separating families only

when necessary—the Agency is generally required to make "reasonable efforts to

prevent the removal of [a] child from the child's home, eliminate the continued removal

of the child from the child's home, or to make it possible for the child to return safely

home." See R.C. 2151.419(A)(1) ("Reunification Efforts"). Importantly, "'[r]easonable

efforts' does not mean all available efforts. Otherwise, there would always be an

argument that one more additional service, no matter how remote, may have made

reunification possible." In re K.M., 2004-Ohio-4152, ¶ 23 (12th Dist.); see also In re S.H.,

2020-Ohio-3499, ¶ 13 (12th Dist.), quoting In re K.M.

        {¶ 18} The second purpose—protecting the constitutional and legal rights of both



4 Our sister district has observed "[t]he [permanent custody] statutes appropriately reflect the need to
balance the extraordinarily significant rights and interests: parents' rights and interest in the custody, care,
nurturing, and rearing of their own children, and the [S]tate's . . . interest in providing for the security and
welfare of children under its jurisdiction, in those unfortunate instances where thorough and impartial
proceedings have determined that the parents are no longer in the best position to do so." In re Thompson,
2001 WL 424044, *6 (10th Dist. Apr. 26, 2001).
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parents and children—can be seen throughout the statutory requirements to grant

permanent custody as well as case law interpreting those requirements. See, e.g., R.C.

2151.414(B)(1) (requiring clear and convincing evidence that it is in best interests of child

to grant an agency permanent custody); see also In re M.G., 2023-Ohio-1316, ¶ 44 (12th

Dist.) (finding State required to prove by clear and convincing evidence the statutory

standards for permanent custody have been met).

                       When Reunification Efforts Are Not Required

       {¶ 19} Certain actions can severely impact that parent's ability to regain custody

of a child, even if the initial removal was considered "temporary." The "Reunification

Termination Factors" ask whether a child's parent has: (1) been convicted of or pled

guilty to a crime involving the child or another child living in the home; (2) "repeatedly

withheld medical treatment or food from the child"; (3) "placed the child at substantial

risk of harm" multiple times due to substance abuse and subsequently refused treatment;

(4) "abandoned the child"—meaning "the parents of the child have failed to visit or

maintain contact with the child for more than ninety days"; or (5) previously had parental

rights terminated with respect to a sibling of the child. R.C. 2151.419(A)(2)(a)-(e) and

2151.011(C).

       {¶ 20} Only the latter two Reunification Termination Factors are relevant in this

case, but the immediate legal consequence of all of them is the same. Upon determining

that one or more Reunification Termination Factors apply, the court must make a legal

determination that an agency is no longer required to engage in Reunification Efforts

and, with certain limited exceptions not applicable here, conduct a review hearing to

approve a permanency plan for the child. R.C. 2151.419(A)(2), (C).

       {¶ 21} In addition to the Reunification Termination Factors, if the "child has been

in the temporary custody of one or more public children services agencies or private child

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placing agencies for twelve or more months of a consecutive twenty-two-month period,"

the child meets the "12 of 22 Criteria," and an agency must file a motion for permanent

custody. R.C. 2151.413(D)(1).5 Under the 12 of 22 Criteria, "a child shall be considered

to have entered the temporary custody of an agency on the earlier of the date the child

is adjudicated [abused, neglected, or dependent] or the date that is sixty days after the

removal of the child from home." R.C. 2151.413(D)(1). Ohio's General Assembly added

the 12 of 22 Criteria to the permanent custody statute in 1999 to "limit the amount of time

children spent in foster care, by providing an additional ground for granting permanent

custody in which parents were given 12 months to work towards reunification with their

child." In re E.B., 2010-Ohio-1122, ¶ 19-20 (12th Dist.).

                      Permanent Custody Consideration—Two-Part Test

        {¶ 22} Once a motion for permanent custody has been filed, the juvenile court may

terminate parental rights and award permanent custody of a child to an agency only after

engaging in a two-part test. In re K.P., 2022-Ohio-1347, ¶ 17 (12th Dist.).

        {¶ 23} First, the juvenile court must find that granting permanent custody to the

Agency is in the "best interest" of the child. R.C. 2151.414(A)(1); In re M.H., 2022-Ohio-

48, ¶ 35 (12th Dist.). To determine a child's best interests, the court must consider:

                (a) "The interaction and interrelationship of the child" with the
                    child's parents, foster caregivers, and others;

                (b) "The wishes of the child, as expressed directly by the child
                    or through the child's guardian ad litem";

                (c) "The custodial history of the child," with the existence of
                    the 12 of 22 Criteria almost always weighing against the
                    parent regaining custody;

5. Similar criteria apply to children who have previously been in the temporary custody of an equivalent
agency in another state. Id. This requirement applies unless the agency documents a compelling reason
why permanent custody is not in the best interest of the child, or the agency has not provided the services
required under its obligation to make Reunification Efforts, or the agency has already been granted
permanent custody. R.C. 2151.413(D)(3).


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                 (d) "The child's need for a legally secure permanent
                     placement and whether that type of placement can be
                     achieved without a grant of permanent custody to the
                     agency;" and

                 (e) the existence of one or more of the "Reunification
                     Termination Factors," including child abandonment and
                     prior termination of parental rights as to a sibling of the
                     child.

                 (f) any other factor the court deems relevant.

(collectively, the "Best Interest Factors"). See R.C. 2151.414(D)(1)(a)-(e) and

2151.414(E)(7)-(11); In re A.J., 2019-Ohio-593, ¶ 24 (12th Dist.).

        {¶ 24} Second, before awarding an agency permanent custody, the juvenile court

must find that at least one of the following "Legal Circumstances" applies: (1) the child is

abandoned; (2) the child is orphaned, (3) the child meets the 12 of 22 Criteria; (4) the

child has been removed from the parents' custody or been adjudicated as abused,

neglected, or dependent on three separate occasions; and (5) none of the above

circumstances apply, but the child cannot or should not "be placed with either of the

child's parents within a reasonable time." R.C. 2151.414(B)(1)(a)-(e). In re J.B., 2023-

Ohio-2454, ¶ 13. Only one of the Legal Circumstances needs to be found under the

second prong of the two-part permanent custody test. In re C.S., 2020-Ohio-4414, ¶ 16

(12th Dist.).6

             Summary of the Cumulative Effects of Reunification Termination
                           Factors and the 12 of 22 Criteria:

        {¶ 25} All of the above demonstrates the immediate and cumulative effect the



6. Some permanent custody cases proceed under the fifth Legal Circumstance identified above and
analyze whether a child can or should be placed with either parent within a reasonable time. R.C.
2151.414(B)(1)(a). This analysis involves assessing efforts taken by the Agency to assist a parent to
"substantially remedy the conditions causing the child to be placed outside of the child's home" such as
chronic drug use, a demonstrated "lack of commitment" to the child and otherwise failing to adequately
provide for and bond with the child. In re J.B., 2023-Ohio-2454, ¶ 20, citing R.C. 2151.414(B)(1)(a) and
2151.414(E). However, this is not one of those cases.
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Reunification Termination Factors and the 12 of 22 Criteria can have in a permanent

custody case. The presence of any of these circumstances may not only dictate the

Agency's obligations (if any) to a parent before filing for permanent custody of a child but

also will affect both parts of the permanent custody analysis.

       {¶ 26} If any Reunification Termination Factors apply to a child (in this case,

abandonment and prior termination of parental rights as to another child), the legal

impact is significant:

               (1) requiring the court to decide that the relevant agency is no
                   longer required to engage in Reunification Efforts with the
                   family, R.C. 2151.419(A)(2)(d), (e);

               (2) requiring the court to hold a review hearing for a
                   permanency plan, with certain limited exceptions, id. at
                   (C);

               (3) weighing against the parent in the consideration of the
                   child's best interests, R.C. 2151.414(D)(1)(e), (E)(10),
                   (11); and

               (4) in the case of a child being legally "abandoned" by the
                   parent, satisfying one of the statutorily defined Legal
                   Circumstances, R.C. 2151.414(B)(1)(b).

       {¶ 27} The legal impact of a child meeting the 12 of 22 Criteria is similarly

substantial:

               (1) requiring the agency to file a motion for permanent
                   custody, with certain limited exceptions, R.C.
                   2151.413(D)(1), (3);

               (2) weighing against the parent in the consideration of the
                   child's best interests, R.C. 2151.414(D)(1)(c); and

               (3) satisfying one of the statutorily defined             Legal
                   Circumstances, R.C. 2151.414(B)(1)(d).

       {¶ 28} Again, a finding of one Legal Circumstance is all that is required to satisfy

the second part of the court's permanent custody analysis. In re C.S., 2020-Ohio-4414,

at ¶ 16.


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                                                 Analysis

                                   Reunification Efforts for Mother
                                    and John Were Not Required

        {¶ 29} Mother's stated goal of reunification with John began at a disadvantage.

Here, there is no dispute Mother's parental rights to Alice, John's sibling, were

involuntarily terminated before John's proceedings. There is also no dispute that Mother

had no contact with John for approximately five months after he was born and she moved

to Rhode Island.7 This exceeds the statutory threshold of 90 days necessary to find

abandonment, so as a matter of law, Mother abandoned John. There is also no dispute

that John meets the 12 of 22 Criteria.

        {¶ 30} The implication of these facts for Mother was fourfold. First, the Agency

had no duty to make reasonable efforts to reunify Mother and John. R.C.

2151.419(A)(2)(d), (e).8 Second, because none of the statutory exceptions applied, the

Agency had to file a motion for permanent custody. 2151.413(D)(1), (3). Third, Mother's

legal abandonment of John and the involuntary termination of her parental rights to

John's sibling Alice weighed against Mother in the consideration of John's best interest—

the first part of the court's analysis concerning permanent custody. R.C.

2151.414(D)(1)(e), (E)(10), (11). Finally, Mother's abandonment of John and the

existence of the 12 of 22 Criteria are both Legal Circumstances capable of satisfying the

second part of the court's permanent custody analysis. R.C. 2151.414(B)(1)(b), (d). With

that backdrop in mind, we proceed to our review of the court's consideration of the two-




7. Mother's brief states she did not abandon John because she "remained dedicated to getting the child
back . . . was actively pursuing case plan services [, and] . . . was seeking to have virtual contact with the
child." However, none of this speaks to the statutory definition of abandonment. Mother's brief fails to refute
in any manner that she failed to visit or maintain contact with John for more than 90 days.

8. We note that despite this, the Agency provided Mother with services including video and in-person
supervised visits.
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part permanent custody test.

                        Part One—The Best Interest Factors Analysis

       {¶ 31} Interaction and Interrelationships of John: It is not contested that

Mother actively used drugs during her pregnancy and that while John tested negative for

drugs, he was admitted into the NICU with withdrawal symptoms. Mother had no contact

with John after his birth and before leaving for Rhode Island. Mother began video visits

with him in November of 2023 and in-person visits in late 2024 after moving back to Ohio.

These in-person visits have been consistent and gone reasonably well, but Mother and

Father have sometimes engaged in loud arguments during them. Despite these issues,

the Agency does not contest that Mother and John have a bond.

       {¶ 32} However, it is inescapable that Mother removed herself from Ohio for so

long that John became integrated into the family of his foster parents. John calls his

foster parents "mommy" and "daddy," and, as noted by the Agency, his foster parents

have provided the only home he has ever known. John's foster family also previously

fostered and adopted his elder sibling Alice, and they are willing to adopt John as well.

       {¶ 33} This factor weighs in favor of granting the Agency custody.

       {¶ 34} Wishes of Child: The magistrate did not interview John due to his age.

However, the guardian ad litem recommended the Agency be granted permanent

custody of John. See R.C. 2151.414(D)(1)(b).

       {¶ 35} This factor favors the Agency.

       {¶ 36} Custodial History of Child: The court granted temporary custody of John

to the Agency on June 23, 2023, and determined him to be a dependent child on August

11, 2023. John has been in the Agency's custody (via his foster parents) for all but his

entire life (fulfilling the 12 of 22 Criteria).

       {¶ 37} This factor favors the Agency.

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      {¶ 38} Need for Legally Secure Placement: It is undeniable that Mother made

great progress in addressing her substance abuse as well as other issues that prevented

her from effectively parenting John from birth. That progress should be commended.

However, at the time of the permanent custody hearing, Mother lived in a rented room of

a home along with her fifth child (and at one point Father). Mother admitted such housing

provided no room for John. In addition, while Aunt passed a home study, no motion was

ever made for her to be considered as a potential placement for John.

      {¶ 39} Ultimately, despite Mother's laudable progress, this factor still favors the

Agency.

      {¶ 40} Parental Placement Factors: As previously stated, the fact that Mother

previously lost legal custody to Alice and she legally abandoned John are significant

factors that also weigh in favor of granting permanent custody to the Agency.

      {¶ 41} All relevant factors analyzed by the juvenile court in its Best Interest

Factors analysis favored the Agency.

                       Part Two—Legal Circumstances Analysis

      {¶ 42} Again, Mother does not contest that John had been in the temporary

custody of the Agency for at least 12 months of a consecutive 22-month period at the

time of the permanent custody hearing. In addition, as previously established, Mother

legally abandoned John. These two circumstances are each individually capable of

satisfying the second prong of the permanent custody analysis.

      {¶ 43} Upon review, we conclude the juvenile court's determination that (1) it was

in John's best interest to award permanent custody to the Agency; and (2) at least one

of the required Legal Circumstances was satisfied was not against the manifest weight

of the evidence.



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                            Mother's Policy Based Arguments

       {¶ 44} Despite the foregoing, Mother asserts "[t]he problem in this case is that

the [A]gency and even the foster family went into it assuming that [because] [M]other had

lost custody of another child, this one would be taken by permanent custody as well."

Ultimately, Mother equates granting permanent custody to the Agency as "look[ing] past"

the strides she has taken to improve herself and her situation.

       {¶ 45} It is important to remember in permanent custody proceedings that "a

parent's successful completion of the terms of a case plan is not dispositive on the issue

of reunification, as the case plan is simply a means to a goal, but not the goal itself." In re

A.R., 2016-Ohio-4919, ¶ 18 (12th Dist.). As previously discussed, her rights "'are not

absolute, [and] are always subject to the ultimate welfare of the child, which is the polestar

or controlling principle to be observed.'" In re Cunningham, 59 Ohio St.2d 100, 106 (1979),

quoting In re R.J.C., 300 So.2d 54, 58 (Fla.App.1974). See also In re B.C., 2014-Ohio-

4558, ¶ 20, quoting In re Cunningham.

       {¶ 46} Mother's argument asks us to ignore the emphasis placed by the legislature

on the profound impact that her prolonged abandonment of John had on his (not her) best

interest, and advocates for a general policy that when a parent remedies the situation that

led to the removal of a child, permanent custody should never be granted to the Agency,

regardless of other circumstances. This court does not have the constitutional or statutory

authority to decide what "should" be the policy in Ohio for determining whether permanent

custody should be awarded to the Agency. Instead, that authority lies solely with the

legislature elected by the people of this State. That legislature has clearly rejected

Mother's policy argument.

       {¶ 47} This assignment of error is overruled.



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          Second Assignment of Error: Ineffective Assistance of Counsel

                        Applicable Law and Standard of Review:

       {¶ 48} "[P]arental rights involve a fundamental liberty interest, procedural due

process, which includes the right to effective assistance of counsel." In re M.G., 2023-

Ohio-1316, ¶ 53 (12th Dist.), citing In re C.D., 2009-Ohio-6922, ¶ 22 (12th Dist.). As a

result, "[a] parent is entitled to the effective assistance of counsel in cases involving the

involuntary termination of his or her parental rights." In re L.J., 2015-Ohio-1567, ¶ 33

(12th Dist.).

       {¶ 49} The efficacy of counsel is judged by the same standard in criminal and

custody proceedings. See M.G. at ¶ 53. The conduct of counsel is presumed to be

effective, but ineffective assistance of counsel can be established if a defendant shows

(1) that counsel's performance was deficient, and (2) that counsel's deficient

performance prejudiced the defendant. Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 687-692

(1984). Courts determine deficient performance by asking whether counsel's conduct

"fell below an objective standard of reasonableness" based on "the facts of the particular

case, viewed as of the time of counsel's conduct." Id. at 688, 690. In turn, prejudice is

shown where "there is a reasonable probability that, but for counsel's unprofessional

errors, the result of the proceeding would have been different." Id. at 694. A defendant's

failure to sufficiently show either Strickland prong is fatal to a claim of ineffective

assistance. State v. Lloyd, 2022-Ohio-4259, ¶ 31, citing Strickland at 697.

                                          Analysis

       {¶ 50} Mother argues on appeal her trial counsel was deficient for failing to file a

motion to grant Aunt legal custody. Mother points out Aunt passed a home inspection,

visited with John during the case, and appeared to testify at the hearing. Mother therefore

reasons her counsel had no reason to not file a motion.

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          {¶ 51} Mother's argument assumes Aunt did in fact want permanent custody of

John. However, at the hearing, the relative testified that she wanted John to be reunited

with Mother and Father and was rebuffed by them at least once when she suggested

she could be a placement for John. Moreover, nothing prevented Aunt from retaining her

own counsel, becoming a party to this case, and filing her own motion to be considered

as a placement for John. See R.C. 2151.414 (D)(2)(d) (requiring trial court to consider

whether a "relative or other interested person has filed, or has been identified in, a motion

for legal custody of the child"); In re Grooms, 2004-Ohio-6782, ¶ 22 (2nd Dist.)

(grandmother who had a limited relationship with grandchildren involved in permanent

custody proceedings "never filed a motion with the court" despite asking the social

worker "for paperwork to be considered for placement"). Aunt ultimately did none of these

things.

          {¶ 52} Even if we were to consider the conduct of Mother's trial counsel deficient

(which we do not), Mother admits that "[h]ow the court would have ruled on that can only

be a matter of conjecture." Despite this, she asserts that "[p]rejudice lies in the fact the

court could not even consider" the relative for a permanent placement. Not so. Mother

must demonstrate prejudice by showing "there is a reasonable probability" that if her trial

counsel had filed a motion for placement with the relative, the trial court would have

granted that motion. Her borderline perfunctory arguments do not come close to meeting

that standard.

          {¶ 53} This assignment of error is overruled.

                                         Conclusion

          {¶ 54} Mother started this case at a disadvantage because her parental rights of

Alice were previously terminated. This disadvantage was compounded when Mother left

Ohio. Regardless of her intention in doing so, Mother abandoned John. This voluntary

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absence affected her ability to form a meaningful parental bond with John. All the while,

John formed a bond with his foster family. Mother's improvement is notable and

commendable, but contrary to Mother's testimony at trial, the Agency did not fail her and

John (after her legal abandonment, it had no obligation to seek their reunification in the

first place). Ultimately, as John's guardian ad litem stated, Mother efforts were "too little,

too late" when the stakes were clear.

       {¶ 55} Judgment affirmed.


       HENDRICKSON , P.J., and M. POWELL, J., concur.




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                            JUDGMENT ENTRY

       The assignments of error properly before this court having been ruled upon, it is
the order of this court that the judgment or final order appealed from be, and the same
hereby is, affirmed.

       It is further ordered that a mandate be sent to the Butler County Court of Common
Pleas, Juvenile Division, for execution upon this judgment and that a certified copy of this
Opinion and Judgment Entry shall constitute the mandate pursuant to App.R. 27.

       Costs to be taxed in compliance with App.R. 24.



                                        /s/ Robert A. Hendrickson, Presiding Judge



                                        /s/ Mike Powell, Judge



                                        /s/ Melena S. Siebert, Judge




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