M v Carmarthenshire County Council

Subject Matter

CHILDREN — Care order — Application to discharge — Mother applying to discharge care order — Local authority opposing application on basis of child’s attachment to foster parents — Test to be applied on discharge application — Whether local authority under positive duty to facilitate reunification of child and his blood family — Whether required to show continuation of care order necessitated by overriding requirement pertaining to child’s best interests — Whether child’s welfare best served if raised by natural parent unless positively shown his physical or moral health would thereby be endangered — Whether care order to be discharged — Children Act 1989 (c 41), ss 1(3), 31, 39

[2018] EWFC 36; [2018] Fam 303; [2018] 3 WLR 1126; [2018] 2 FLR 1375; [2018] WLR (D) 361, Fam Ct

EVIDENCE — Expert evidence — Admissibility — Children proceedings — Mother applying to discharge care order — Local authority opposing application in reliance on expert evidence in social worker’s report detailing child’s attachment to foster parents — Whether social worker’s report admissible as “expert evidence” — Whether “necessary” to assist the court to resolve proceedings justly — Whether expert evidence properly admitted — Whether applications to adduce such evidence to be determined with utmost rigour — Children and Families Act 2014 (c 6), s 13(6)

[2018] EWFC 36; [2018] Fam 303; [2018] 3 WLR 1126; [2018] 2 FLR 1375; [2018] WLR (D) 361, Fam Ct