Kids taken from suicidal parents

A judge has granted a care order to the Child and Family Agency (CFA) in respect of two small children after hearing that both parents have recently tried to take their own lives.

At the Family Law court, Judge Patrick Durcan granted the care order for six months after hearing that one of the children — aged under one — sustained a fractured skull after he fell off a couch while in the care of his father.

At the outset of the case, Judge Durcan said he was concerned the couple did not have legal representation and the mother said: “I didn’t feel like we needed any.”

A social worker in the case told the court that “this is clearly a very sad situation”.

She said the couple’s baby boy sustained a skull fracture that required neurosurgery to remove a clot in the brain.

The social worker said the hospital felt that the injury occurred in context of poor supervision, but accepted that the injury was accidental.

She said that, subsequent to the baby’s accident, his mother tried to take her own life and the father was so distressed by this, he also tried to take his own life.

Both parents were in court for the application and the mother said she tried to take her life after “a horrible time” from “sleeping in a car outside the hospital for three weeks wondering if my son was going to be brain damaged or not and I was being asked if was I mentally fit to be looking after my children”.

The woman said that she also lost a close family relative this year. She said: “I have always suffered with my mental health. I was still grieving and I was minutes away from losing my son.”

The children’s father told the court: “I just want to get the children back.”

The two children have been in foster care for the past two weeks, with the parents granted liberal access.

Asked by Judge Durcan would she be able to look after her children if they were returned to her today, the mother said: “I think I would. I know when enough is enough and I am well able to make that phone call and say that I can’t cope. I have done it in the past.

“I do understand taking the children off me — but for such a long time, it just seems… I have seen my daughter crawl and walk and had her first Christmas with my son, I am not going to see him do any of this.”

Solicitor for the CFA, Aidan Frawley, said that the agency was open to having a care order for four months but the mother told the court that she was not prepared to consent to an order for four months.

Mr Frawley said that the ultimate aim of the CFA is re-unification of the children with their parents.

Judge Durcan said that he would make the care order for six months, but also directed that the CFA help the two with parenting skills; that bereavement counselling would be made available to the mother; that the CFA provide the appropriate medical assistance to the two parents; and provide liberal access for both parents to the children during the six months.