England and Wales County Court (Family)

I am asked today to make a care order in respect of a little boy called CJ who is now two. His parents, the First and Second Respondents, are SW and CJ.

Proceedings were commenced by the Local Authority in January 2009, when some injuries were found to C. In August 2009, a fact finding hearing was conducted in this Court by His Honour Judge O. That judgment appears in the Court bundle. Effectively, the Judge concluded that the parents should be precluded from caring for C in the future.

Various assessments have been completed since that hearing of family members. The conclusion as of today is that a care order should be made, but that C should be placed with his paternal great uncle and aunt, Mr and Mrs L, who are the Fourth and Fifth Respondents. There has been an independent social work assessment of Mr and Mrs L, and it is hoped that introductions can commence quite shortly and that those will be at a speed commensurate with C’s needs but hopefully quite quickly and that he can then be placed with them early in the new year.

I shall make a care order which places C in the care of X Local Authority, and endorse the current care plans in relation to the parents’ contact, but of course their contact is kept under review by the review process and the Local Authority has a duty to do that as time goes on. The care plan, which is for placement with Mr and Mrs L, I endorse. I voice my thanks to Mr and Mrs L for sticking at it (if I can put it that way) throughout this case. It has had its ups and downs for Mr and Mrs L, but they have never wavered in their commitment to provide a home for C, and hopefully he will be placed with them very early in the new year. I wish them well in that placement.

So I make the care order and I make no order for costs, save for public funding assessment.