The Local Authority v The Mother & Ors

Facts

The local authority applied for care and placement orders in respect of Storm, a baby girl now aged nine months, who has been accommodated in foster care under an interim care order made in late 2025 since her discharge from hospital following her birth. Care proceedings were issued on the day of her birth. Storm has two older full siblings, O and C, who were the subject of care and placement proceedings in 2019 and were subsequently adopted; in those proceedings the court found that O had suffered a non-accidental shaking-type injury, that each parent fell within the pool of possible perpetrators, and that neither had given a candid account. Pre-birth assessment identified the previous findings, the parents' continued failure to accept responsibility, domestic abuse, mental health difficulties, substance misuse and a lack of safeguarding insight. Threshold findings were agreed and approved by the court on 9 January 2026 and were not disputed at the final hearing. Parenting, cognitive and psychological assessments were obtained. The parents separated at a late stage, each then alleging that the other had injured O. At the issues resolution hearing HHJ Pates refused the mother's applications for an independent social work assessment and for Dr Alwin to be called; the father issued a further assessment application on 21 August 2026, days before the final hearing before HHJ Hesford.