Judge rules girl should be brought up by foster carer instead of family members

A three-year-old girl whose parents cannot look after her should be brought up by a foster carer rather than a relative, a family court judge has ruled.

Judge Stephen Wildblood said the girl had been placed with the foster carer more than a year ago pending decisions about her long-term future.

The judge said both the foster carer – a woman in her in late 40s – and a paternal aunt and uncle wanted to bring up the youngster.

He has concluded she should remain with the foster carer.

Detail of the case has emerged in a ruling published by the judge following a private family court hearing in Bristol.

Judge Wildblood said the girl could not be identified but social services bosses at Gloucestershire County Council had asked him to make decisions about where she should grow up.

He said the relationship between the girl’s parents had been “unstable and volatile”.

Her father had been jailed after assaulting her mother, who had become caught up in a life involving “drink, drugs, violent relationships and instability”.

The girl was placed with the foster carer by social workers when she was two.

Judge Wildblood said only two options for the youngster’s long-term care had emerged. Social workers – and the girl’s mother – said were in favour of her staying with the foster carer, while her father wanted her to live at his sister’s home.

The judge said the aunt and uncle had “very good intentions”, a “genuine love” for the youngster and the backing of the rest of the family.

But he said they were “relatively young” and had several children of their own, while the uncle also had health problems.

He added: “There is no doubt that the foster carer is highly capable of meeting the demands of (the girl’s) care in a way that the aunt and uncle could not.”

Judge Wildblood said the girl would be placed with the foster carer under a special guardianship order.

He said the girl’s parents would be able to stay in touch with her, and the foster carer would get support from social workers.

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