[2010] EWCC 10 (Fam)
IN THE COUNTY COURT

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Re:  B (Minors)
22nd February 2010 

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1st Applicant: D
1st Respondent: S
2nd Respondent: R
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J U D G M E N T

(Approved)
The judgment is being distributed on the strict understanding that in any report, no person may be identified by name or location (Other than a person identified by name in the judgment itself) and that in particular the anonymity of the children and the adult members of their family must be strictly preserved

J U D G M E N T

1.	THE JUDGE:  I am dealing today with an application by the local authority for care orders in respect of three children.   Those children are D, who is aged x, C, who is just over y, and M, who is aged z.   The three children are all the children of R.    S is M’s father, and the father’s of D and C have played no part in these court proceedings.   
2.	The parents, insofar as the one father is involved and the mother in respect of all three children have very commendably recognised that they are unable to meet the needs of the children at this particular time.   The one father who is involved sadly is about to face a long custodial sentence for criminal matters, and the mother has her own difficulties in relation to substance misuse, which I am happy to hear today she is hoping to address by way of a residential placement.   She is to be commended for that, and if she can deal with her own difficulties then she will be much better placed to play an active role in the lives of her children.
3.	D is placed with her paternal grandparents and is making good progress.   C and M are placed together in foster care, and there is no intention on the local authority’s part to separate them.   Again, I commend the local authority for that care plan because it is very clear that the two siblings gain tremendous comfort from each other.   It is clear that the parents are not in a position to care for these children, either now or in the foreseeable future, and in those circumstances the local authority must have parental responsibility to assist with their care, and in those circumstances I make care orders placing those three children in the care of the local authority, the care plans being that they will remain in their current placements.
4.	The guardian commends the social worker in this case for excellent social work practice, and unusually in some cases I am not always able to commend the social work practice but in this case I echo the guardian’s comments.   
5.	So I make the orders and I make no order for costs save public funding assessment.    Thank you.

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