K and S, Re

(i) Two children namely K (now 4� years of age) and S (now 3� years of age) are the subject of an application before this court by the Trust under Article 18 of the Adoption (Northern Ireland) Order 1987.

(ii) Both children were taken into care in December 2003 in the aftermath of allegations of non-accidental injuries allegedly caused to them by their parents M (mother) and P (father).

(iii) The children were made the subject of a care order on 13 December 2005. That order was appealed, which appeal was rejected by the Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland on 24 April 2006.

(iv) The children remained with foster carers Mr and Mrs X until the summer of this year. The care plan approved by the court in December 2005 had envisaged permanence by way of adoption for these children. In the summer of 2006 the children were moved to their current placement which, if the court accedes to the application under Article 18 of the 1987 Order, is likely to be the permanent home for these children.

(v) On 3 July 2006 the Trust filed applications for the reduction of contact between the children and each of their parents pursuant to Article 53(2) of the Children Order (NI) 1995 ("the 1995 Order") . Contact between parents and children had been reduced in the aftermath of the care order in December 2005 to fortnightly contacts. The current application was to further reduce that contact to monthly occasions consequent upon the children moving to their planned permanent placement and in any event prior to September 2006 when it was anticipated K would commence school.