David, J.
Court proceedings in which the State seeks to regulate or terminate a parent’s relationship with his or her children are among the most delicate and difficult that judicial officers and attorneys must face. And we have repeatedly emphasized the importance of caution and care in these sorts of cases—from all involved—as the repercussions that flow from them can be devastating to every member of a family.
Here, the State sought to terminate the parental rights of a father and mother whose young child had been removed from their care. On the day of the termination hearing, the mother was incarcerated in a local jail and her attorney sought a continuance until after the mother might be released. The trial court denied this request and held the hearing in the mother’s absence—the end result was the termination of her parental rights with respect to her son. Under the facts and circumstances of this case, we conclude that the denial of the motion for a continuance was an abuse of discretion.
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In sum, we find that the delay that would have resulted from the continuance could have been as short as two weeks. This would have been a minimal inconvenience to all others involved, although we recognize that the record does not indicate that the courtroom, staff, parties, and witnesses would have been available on such notice; neither is it a certainty that C.C. would have been released from incarceration. But at the same time, this proceeding had not been overly drawn-out or delayed, and in fact the proceeding had been held up at DCS’s request for nearly as long as it had been delayed as a result of C.C.’s prior motion.
Moreover, despite the desire for finality in these sorts of cases and the wish to mitigate any additional unnecessary stress that prolonging such a proceeding can place on a child, this is not a case where there is an overwhelming sense of urgency. K.W. was two years old and he is not, for example, trying to enroll in school or another activity that is time-sensitive. And he is not at risk of physical or emotional abuse as a result of any delay; he is already in preadoptive care and is, by all accounts, quite healthy and doing well.
And we also find that C.C. had a substantially significant interest in being present at the proceeding. While her counsel certainly could have—and probably should have—already pursued alternative approaches to satisfy this interest, such as a motion to transport C.C. to the courtroom or a request to have her participate telephonically, by the time C.C.’s motion to continue was made the trial court was presented only one choice: continue the trial (i.e., allow C.C. to be present or use an alternative method) or proceed without her voice being heard at all.
So rather than continue the TPR proceeding a short time until C.C.’s release date, or to accommodate a readily available alternative means for her to present testimony, the trial court opted to carry out a proceeding by which C.C.’s fundamental rights to parental autonomy were challenged, attacked, and taken away—without C.C.’s personal participation in any way. When viewed in such a light, we cannot help but find that C.C. showed good cause why her motion should be granted, and to do otherwise was clearly against the logic and circumstances of the case.
But as we said above, it also true that no abuse of discretion will be found in the denial of a motion to continue if the movant was not prejudiced as a result. See Rowlett, 841 N.E.2d at 619. DCS argues extensively about how C.C.’s presence would not have impacted the ultimate result of the trial, in the context of analyzing factor (7) of the In re C.G. test. And the Court of Appeals viewed the matter in a similar fashion. See In re K.W., 1 N.E.3d 221 at *4. But under the circumstances of this case, we do not think that the notion of prejudice can be viewed that narrowly or parallel a harmless error analysis. The harm here was more than merely the additional weight C.C.’s personal participation might have carried at the hearing.
Even though there is no absolute constitutional right for a parent to be present at a termination hearing, In re C.G., 954 N.E.2d at 921, this does not invariably correlate to a conclusion that it is permissible to omit the parent from participating in the process entirely. “[T]he involuntary termination of parental rights is an extreme measure that is designed to be used as a last resort when all other reasonable efforts have failed,” and the State may only undertake this measure in a manner that comports with the standards of due process. Id. at 916–17. So “[i]f anything, persons faced with forced dissolution of their parental rights have a more critical need for procedural protections than do those resisting state intervention into ongoing family affairs.” Id. at 917 (quoting Santosky v. Kramer, 455 U.S. 745, 753–54 (1982)).
Thus, though a parent may not have an absolute right to be present at a TPR hearing, “such parent does have the right to be heard at a meaningful time and in a meaningful manner.” Tillotson, 777 N.E.2d at 745. This in fact is the essence—and the aim—of the entire concept of Due Process. See In re C.G., 954 N.E.2d at 917. And here, in a proceeding challenging her fitness as a parent to her child, C.C. was not heard at any time or in any manner.
C.C. was not physically present, nor was an effort made to bring her to the courtroom. No attempt was made to secure her participation by readily available means like telephone or video. And no other form of statements from her, such as deposition transcripts or affidavits, were introduced into evidence or otherwise put before the trial court. So while it is true that C.C.’s attorney attempted to mount a defense by cross-examining DCS witnesses and putting on one of his own, that is a far cry from saying that C.C. was heard at a meaningful time and in a meaningful manner and far from being fundamentally fair—and it was therefore prejudicial.
Conclusion
Under the facts and circumstances of this case, we conclude that the trial court here abused its discretion by denying C.C.’s motion to continue the TPR hearing and proceeding instead without her participation. We therefore vacate that portion of the trial court’s order terminating C.C.’s parental rights with respect to her son, K.W.
Dickson, C.J., Rucker, Massa, and Rush, JJ., concur.