Cases Archive

Care – Care proceedings – Child’s putative father brother-in-law of child’s mother – Care proceedings instituted by local authority – Child’s putative father not being served with notice of proceedings and unaware that he was child’s father – Effect of serving putative father of child potentially catastrophic – Whether court had discretion to direct that putative father without parental responsibility should not be served with proceedings – Circumstances in which discretion should be exercised

Secure accommodation – Children charged with criminal offences – Bail refused – Children remanded to local authority accommodation – Local authority seeking secure accommodation order – Whether criteria for making secure accommodation order where child remanded to local authority accommodation satisfied – Whether secure accommodation order should be made in principle where bail refused

Care – Local authority applying for care orders for three children based on allegations of sexual abuse of older sister by mother’s cohabitee – Judge finding allegations not established – Whether judge should proceed to consider future risk to children when primary allegation not proved – Children Act 1989, s 31

Care – Contact dispute – Care order made – Issue of contact between child and parents adjourned to a further hearing – Whether open to court to adjourn contact for review by court after care order made.

Care – Threshold criteria for making care order – Meaning of ‘is suffering’ significant harm – Relevant time – Meaning of ‘likely to suffer’ significant harm – Children Act 1989, s 31(2).

Adoption – Contact – Uncontested care order – Freeing for adoption application by local authority – Judge finding that adoption in child’s best interests – Judge dispensing with parent’s consent to adoption – Judge freeing child for adoption – Judge terminating contact with father but making monthly contact order to mother – Whether continuing contact conflicting with freeing order – Whether mother’s refusal to agree to adoption reasonable in the light of contact order – Whether issue of contact should be resolved before a freeing order application made – Whether parent could have continuing contact after adoption order made

Care – Care orders – Two eldest children placed with foster-parents prior to adoption – Mother giving birth to boy and being placed in residential home – Marked improvements made in her care – Mother allowed to return home with boy – Mother having frequent contact with girls – Local authority wishing to terminate contact between mother and girls before adoption – Mother wishing for care order to be discharged and for girls to live with her – No assessment made of mother’s ability – Whether local authority’s plans able to reconsidered by court despite principle in A v Liverpool City Council.

Care — Care proceedings — Children Act 1989 — Local authority applying for interim care orders for three children — Justices declining to make orders in respect of two children — Justices announcing decision without stating findings of fact or reasons — Whether decision vitiated — Whether matter should be remitted for rehearing — Family Proceedings Courts (Children Act 1989) rules 1991, r 21(5),(6)