Judge grants care order after hearing that mother was distressed with knives on the kitchen floor
A judge today granted an interim care order to TUSLA the Child & Family Agency (CFA) for a six-year-old boy after a Garda gave evidence that he arrived at the boy's home to find the child’s mother distressed with two nearby knives on the floor and the child sitting in the adjoining room.
At the Family Law Court in Kilrush, Judge Patrick Durcan granted a 29 day interim care order for the boy.
In evidence on behalf of the TUSLA care order application, a Co Clare Garda gave evidence that he arrived at the home earlier this month to find the mother sitting and sobbing on the kitchen floor.
The Garda said that the door of the house was open and that the woman’s child was sitting in the next room on a couch.
The Garda said that the mother said that she was stressed and finding it difficult “and expressed a desire to go to Cliffs of Moher and be done with it”.
The Garda said that they made an assessment which showed that the woman was in need of psychiatric assessment and she was admitted to hospital.
Gardaí then invoked special emergency powers that resulted in TUSLA the Child and Family Agency seeking a seven day emergency care order for the child.
This was due to expire at midnight tonight and solicitor for TUSLA, Kevin Sherry said that the agency was seeking the interim care order.
The mother said that she was not consenting to the application.
At the family law court last Thursday, the mother told Judge Durcan that she doesn't want her son “living with some random family I know nothing about”.
She said: “TUSLA have good intentions for my son and they are only worried about him, but I don’t think it is a good idea that he is with a family that he doesn’t know.”
The boy has been staying with a TUSLA appointed foster family since being brought into care.
On the events at her home earlier the month, the mother told the court: “I know I did something stupid.”
The mother - who was not legally represented in court - said that she had an application with the Legal Aid board to be represented.
TUSLA has had in place a supervision order for the child since last November.
