YL v A Local Authority & Ors

Facts

AM was born on 14 September 2019 to YL (father) and ML (mother). The mother now lives in Latvia with the couple's three other children, and the Riga State City Municipal Orphans' and Custody Court attended the hearing and filed a position statement. An interim care order was granted on 2 July 2020 and restated on 6 July 2020, and AM was placed with foster carers on 6 August 2020, where he has remained. Riga OCC applied in October 2020 for the proceedings to be transferred to Latvia, which Deputy Circuit Judge Jordan refused on 3 December 2020. Following a five-day hearing, that judge made a care order on 19 November 2021, finding domestic abuse including coercive and controlling behaviour, that the father could not manage his anger and had roughly handled AM, and that the mother had fled the home on three occasions but returned; AM was to remain in long-term foster care with permission for the local authority to withhold contact. The Court of Appeal refused permission to appeal on 18 May 2022. The father applied to discharge the care order; the mother applied on 1 September 2025 for direct contact and steps towards AM moving to Latvia. The local authority and Children's Guardian opposed both and sought an order under section 91(14) of the Children Act 1989.