Northern Ireland

RH, born in January 2021 and 21 months old at the time of the hearing, was the child of unmarried parents. She was released from hospital three days after birth into foster care by voluntary agreement, although an interim care order was immediately applied for and granted. The mother had six older children by another man, all of whom were the subject of social services intervention in the Republic of Ireland and all in long-term foster placements in that country; She had no contact with any of them. The father had an older child (by another woman), NG, the subject of a care order in a long-term foster placement. The mother and father also shared another child, GA, who was younger than RH and was the subject of an interim care order. The Trust’s present applications were for a care order, with a care plan of permanency by way of adoption, and for an order freeing RH for adoption and dispensing with the consent of both parents; applications supported by the guardian ad litem but opposed by each parent. All issues – threshold, care plan of adoption, dispensing of the parents’ consent and contact – were contested.