A Local Authority v The Mother & Anor

Kevin Farquharson for the Local Authority Mark Williams for the mother Sarah Hindle for the child. ____________________

i) Is it right that this mother should not yet have been offered therapy, particularly bearing in mind that her first child was born three years ago and was himself the subject of lengthy proceedings?

ii) If she had been offered therapy at an early stage, is there not at least a possibility that the outcome of these proceedings might have been different?

iii) Even if the outcome would not have been different, would not an attempt at therapy make these proceedings more satisfactory?

iv) Has the money that has been spent on issuing proceedings (�2,055 is the cost of issuing a care application) and on psychological evidence (over �2,000) well spent when the expenditure is incurred before attempts at therapeutic support have been made in cases of this nature.