A mother has lost her appeal against care orders for two of her children following allegations that she had been violent towards them. 

Background of the Case 

The mother had four children. In January 2020, one of them alleged that she had hit him with a belt. Two of the other children made similar allegations. The children were removed to foster care, with the older child being placed alone and the other two together. The local authority began care proceedings in April 2020. 

Court Findings 

The court found that the mother had assaulted each child on multiple occasions, and that the father had assaulted one child and threatened the other two. The children had witnessed violence between the mother and the father multiple times. A local authority report concluded that the children would be at risk of future emotional and physical harm and neglect, noting that the parents did not fully acknowledge the abuse and could not prioritize the children’s need for safety over their own interests. It recommended care orders for the children with restricted family contact. 

Appeal and Outcome 

The mother accepted that the oldest child should remain in foster care but sought the return of the two younger ones. The judge noted the mother’s lack of acceptance of the court’s findings and granted the care orders. The Court of Appeal upheld that decision, stating that the judge was entitled to consider the mother’s continued denial of violence as a relevant factor, raising the risk of repetition and contradicting the children’s serious accounts. 

Court’s Conclusion 

The judgment provided ample support for the conclusion that it would not be physically or emotionally safe for the children to return to their mother’s care until the issues had been sufficiently addressed.