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A Return To Motherhood

The subject child was made subject to a Care Order in previous proceedings. Concerns in those proceedings related to mother’s drug misuse. The child was placed in the care of his mother’s cousin. After completing extensive work to address the concerns of the local authority, the Mother made an application to discharge the Care Order and sought the return of the child to her care. This was initially opposed by the local authority and the Guardian. Various assessments, including updating parenting assessments, were completed during the course of the proceeding. By the time of the final hearing, the child’s carers were a party to proceedings and opposed the proposed change in the care plan. The local authority, after completing assessments, supported the child returning to his mother’s care. There was a lengthy contested final hearing. The decision for the Court was to determine whether the child ought to remain in the care of his carers, where he had been for over a year and where he was settled, or whether there was sufficient to say that it was in the child’s best interests to return to the care of his mother. After a tense final hearing, the Court determined that the child ought to return to the care of his mother.