The District Court granted the extension of an interim care order in respect of a teenage girl who had arrived in the state alone.
The matter was dealt with by way of affidavit evidence and the solicitor for the Child and Family Agency (CFA) said that the full care order hearing was due to take place at the end of the month, but was likely it was going to be delayed because of the Covid-19 restrictions. She said a guardian ad litem (GAL) had been appointed when the initial interim care order had been granted on the last date and the GAL was supporting the application for the extension.
She said the girl was in the process of making an application for asylum to the International Protection Office (IPO) and the CFA was awaiting further details in that regard.
She said there were a number of updates in relation to the girl’s health. She said the girl had suffered a seizure before Christmas, which was “triggered by stress and trauma,” and had been referred to a neurologist. She said the appointment was likely to be delayed because of the Covid-19 restrictions.
The solicitor said the girl was also “struggling in school because of the language barrier.” Although the girl was getting on well in her placement, the solicitor said there had been a recent incident which needed to be addressed. She said both the social worker and the GAL were due to meet with the girl this week to get an update on her progress.
Having heard the evidence, the judge said she was satisfied that the threshold had been reached and she was extending the interim care order.
