A judge in a rural town adjourned a case for a month to allow a child’s mother to avail of legal advice. This was in circumstances where although the child’s mother did not wish to see her child (A), she objected to his being adopted by his foster parents. The judge decided that it was essential that the mother should obtain legal advice before the matter progressed any further.
Lawyer for the Child and Family Agency (CFA) told the court that this case was about a primary school child whose foster parents wished to adopt him. A full care order under Section 18 had already been made in respect of A. The CFA lawyer said that A was born after a short gestation and that his mother had never seen him. A’s father’s location was not known. A’s mother did not wish to see the child but she objected to his being adopted by his foster parents.
The judge asked how the child was getting on in the foster home. The CFA lawyer replied that he was doing very well and was getting very good care and attention from his foster parents.
The judge said that it was important now for the mother to avail of her right to seek legal advice. The judge said he believed that this would help prevent a future situation where the mother might claim that she did not fully understand the process that had taken place. The lawyer for the CFA replied that he would have no difficulty with this. The judge adjourned the matter for one month to allow for Child A’s mother to avail of legal advice on the matter.
