In re B.R.W.

Summary

The Supreme Court of North Carolina affirmed the Court of Appeals and upheld guardianship of the children by their paternal grandmother. It held that the trial court's findings, viewed cumulatively, supported the conclusion that the mother had acted inconsistently with her constitutionally protected parental status by ceding custody and care to the grandmother for several years, despite later compliance with her family-services agreement. Because that threshold determination was supported, the trial court properly applied the best-interests standard and found that the conditions supporting removal continued to exist.