An interim care order in respect of two young boys who had been cared for by their grandparents since birth was granted in a district court in a regional city.
The social worker gave evidence and said that the children’s grandparents contacted the Child and Family Agency (CFA) as they were unable to continue caring for the children. There had been no child protection concerns prior to this and the social worker explained that the mother was residing outside of the family home and suffered from significant mental health difficulties, which had not been diagnosed.
The social worker said that a barring order had been granted in the district court some weeks previously due to the mother’s behaviour when she attended at the family home. In addition, the social worker explained that since that barring order had been made, there had been instances where the mother invited other persons to the family home and threats had been made to the grandparents through third parties.
The social worker told the judge that the mother previously acknowledged that she could not care for her children and although the interim care order was being sought by appointment with the mother, she was not represented and consented to the order.
The judge was satisfied that the threshold had been met and was aware of the background of the case, as she had heard the application for the barring order. The judge thanked the mother for attending and advised her to attend at her local legal aid board office in order to obtain representation in advance of the next date.
