Court Report: Parents win appeal for assessment

In this case, two parents appealed against the final orders and placement orders issued in relation to their two children in care proceedings. While the children had been placed with their maternal grandmother prior to the issuing of proceedings, no members of their birth family came forward as possible long-term carers. During the final hearing, the judge ruled out the possibility that the children would be returned to their mother.

In the final hearing, the judge approved the adoption care plan proposed by the local authority and supported by the children’s guardian, which included moving the children to a "bridging" foster placement prior to adoption. During this time, assessments would be carried out to determine the ability of the birth parents to support the adoption and to determine whether it would be in the children’s interests to allow ongoing contact with their birth family after adoption.