extended periods of time." NRS 128.106(1). The purpose of terminating
parental rights "is not to punish parents, but to protect the welfare of
children." Matter of N.J., 116 Nev. at 801, 8 P.3d at 133. This court will
uphold the district court's termination order if it is supported by
substantial evidence. Matter of D.R.H., 120 Nev. at 428, 92 P.3d at 1234.
On appeal, appellant contends that there was not clear and
convincing evidence of parental fault or that termination was in the
children's best interests. Appellant argues that she had made significant
progress on her case plan, attended counseling and made efforts to
address her mental health issues, and demonstrated her ability to provide
stability for the children. Additionally, appellant asserts that the State's
initial goal of reunification was changed to a goal of termination based
merely on an incident in which appellant's boyfriend pushed her during an
argument. Appellant also contends that the State did not make
reasonable efforts to reunify the family, or to locate a relative for possible
placement or the establishment of a guardianship.
Having considered appellant's arguments along with the
appellate record, we conclude that the district court properly terminated
appellant's parental rights as to the four children. The district court found
that appellant had unstable living conditions, multiple suicide attempts,
and serious unresolved mental health issues, all of which detrimentally
affected the children. The court also found that the foster care placements
for the children, although not perfect, provided more stability for the
children over the preceding two years. A review of the record shows that
substantial evidence supports the district court's findings that the State
establishes by clear and convincing evidence parental fault and that
termination of appellant's parental rights was in the children's best
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interests. See Matter of N.J., 116 Nev. at 800, 8 P.3d at 132; Matter of
D.R.H., 120 Nev. at 428-33, 92 P.3d at 1234-37. Accordingly, we
ORDER the judgment of the district court AFFIRMED.
/ J.
Hardesty
e
Parraguir
J.
cc: Hon. Steve L. Dobrescu, District Judge
Michael L. Shurtz
Attorney General/Las Vegas
White Pine County Clerk
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