A (A Child)

Abigail Bond for the Local Authority Sorrel Dixon for the mother. Sarah Phillimore for the father. Alison Lippman for the child. Hearing began : 4th June 2019 ____________________

i) The mother has a history of having each of her previous children removed from her care. Two are subject to full care orders and have shown such disturbed behaviour that it has been very difficult to find them long-term placements. Three have been adopted. One is in the care of Spanish authorities after the mother and the father of that other child left this country hurriedly and the mother gave birth to that child on a beach in Spain. Her previous children, and the orders relating to them, are listed at A83 of the bundle.

ii) Over the years there have been many assessments, of many different kinds, of her ability to parent. Each assessment has concluded that she does not have the ability to parent a child safely or adequately. In relation to the last child born to the mother before A there was a lengthy residential assessment of the mother and that child (this father was not 'on the scene' at that stage).

iv) Over the years, enormous efforts have been made by this Local Authority to see if the mother could care for any of her children with professional support. In a judgment in 2013, before the mother met this father, I said at B34: ' I have difficulty remembering a case where more support and assistance have been given to a family in an attempt to keep the children with that family.' I make similar remarks about the support and assistance that have been offered to these parents in relation to A.

v) Her own life has been very unsettled and she has not been able, so far, to live a life that would offer a child a stable upbringing. I gave a judgment in 2013 about two of her previous children and described how her way of life had been up to that point.