Woman with learning difficulties has fourth child taken from her care

A woman with learning difficulties whose three daughters are already with adopters must now have a fourth child taken from her care, a family court judge has decided.

Judge Sarah Lynch has ruled that the woman’s baby son must be placed for adoption after analysing his case at a private family court hearing in Leeds.

The judge said the woman, who has had children by two men, suffered “very bad experiences” as a child which had “really affected” her.

She has published a written ruling outlining detail of the case.

Judge Lynch said her ruling “may not sound as legal” as some judges’ rulings.

The judge said she had written it in a way which would “make sense” to the woman, and the boy’s father, who also had “problems with understanding”.

A social worker who specialised in working with parents with learning difficulties had told the judge that neither the woman, nor the boy’s father, were “able to learn” how to be the “right kind of parents” because of their “own problems inside”.

Judge Lynch concluded that the boy would “not be brought up properly and safely” if he stayed at home.

She said the woman’s daughters had been placed for adoption because of the same “problems”.

Social services bosses at Wakefield Council (pictured) have welfare responsibilities for the boy and had asked for a decision about his future care.

The judge said the family involved could not be identified.

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