High Court told no reunion steps taken for breastfed baby in care
A social worker told the High Court that, to her knowledge, nothing had been done to reunite a breastfed newborn with his mother after he entered State care. The case raises concerns about how the separation was handled, including the mother’s ability to maintain contact and receive information about her son’s health.
The Child Law Project report says the social worker had been assigned only five days before the hearing, after two colleagues went on sick leave. The baby had been placed with foster carers who had no newborn experience, and his mother was told she could not breastfeed after a toxicology test came back positive; later repeat results were reported as negative. She learned a day after his hospital admission that he was at Temple Street, where doctors carried out a lumbar puncture to rule out meningitis.
- A social worker said no reunion steps had been taken.
- The mother was separated from her breastfed newborn.
- She learned of his hospital admission a day later.
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This case concerns a newborn who entered State care after his mother tested positive in a drug screening. She was subsequently prevented from breastfeeding him, despite later tests coming back negative, raising questions about decisions made based on the initial result. The baby was placed with foster carers whilst separated from his mother, prompting concerns about how such separations are managed and whether adequate efforts have been made to reunite them.
The circumstances of the separation have raised practical concerns. The social worker assigned to the case had only recently taken it on after two colleagues went on sick leave, and the foster carers had no experience with newborns. The mother was not immediately informed of her son's whereabouts, learning only a day after his hospital admission that he was at Temple Street Children's Hospital, where doctors performed tests to rule out serious infection.
The case highlights broader issues within child protection and care proceedings. It raises questions about the weight given to initial test results when subsequent tests contradict them, the access parents have to information about their children, and whether social services are adequately staffed and trained to handle such sensitive situations.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “The shocking court admission from a Tusla social worker assigned to a case of a separated breastfed newborn and its mother reveals just how badly the State has let them down”.