Office of the Guardian ad Litem v. H.M. (State ex rel. S.M.)

In Office of the Guardian ad Litem v. H.M. (State ex rel. S.M.), 2007 UT 21, 154 P.3d 835, the Guardian ad Litem appealed an order that ended reunification services, terminated the Division's custody, and returned the children to the custody of the mother. The Court concluded that this decision was final and appealable because "it terminated the custody of the Division and awarded custody to the Mother--finally implementing the permanency goal set for the children." Id. The effect of the juvenile court's decision in S.M. was to immediately implement a change in the permanent status of the children, and thus the decision required no further judicial action to be final.