In a previously unannounced family case, it was adjudicated that four children who were removed from their Christian parents will not be adopted. For the present they will instead remain with their foster carers and continue to have contact with their family, with the possibility of being reunited in the future.
The children, all under the age of 8 at the time, were removed by the local authority in February 2015 because there were concerns about the parents’ choice to home school and the mother’s ability to manage the demands of her young family. Although the local authority was originally content for the children to be cared for by their grandparents, it then changed its position and applied for a drastic adoption order which would have meant splitting the children between two homes as well as permanent separation from their own family.
Support system
At the end of the hearing in May, the judge refused to grant the adoption. He ordered that the current foster care arrangements should continue, allowing contact between the family and their children. A support system will also be put in place for the parents.
