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	Judge says it is in interests of child to be &lsquo;full member&rsquo; of foster family</p>
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	Two children in the care of the State will be allowed to travel out of the country on a summer holiday with their foster carers without the permission of their parents, the Dublin District Family Court has ruled.</p>
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	Judge Brendan Toale dispensed with the requirement of parental approval for passports in two separate cases yesterday.</p>
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	The court heard the foster carer of one young child wanted to bring her charge, to whom she is related, on a family holiday abroad, but the girl&rsquo;s mother had refused to sign for a passport.</p>
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	The social worker said the mother, who did not appear in court, had not seen her child for more than a year, but had said she would not agree to her having a passport. The girl had been in the care of her relative since birth and that she was &ldquo;very well-settled&rdquo;, the social worker said.</p>
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	The child&rsquo;s father, who attended court, said he wanted his daughter to have a holiday.</p>
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	Judge Toale said he was satisfied it was in the best interests of the child to be allowed to be &ldquo;a full member of the family&rdquo; and that included going on holiday. He dispensed with the need for the mother&rsquo;s consent for a passport.</p>
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	Parental consent<br />
	The judge also dispensed with the need for parental consent for the passport of an infant whose foster carers wanted to bring her and her sister abroad. The girl&rsquo;s older sister already had a passport, but the parents had failed to appear in court to consent for the younger child. There was &ldquo;a pattern of inconsistency and not showing up for court dates&rdquo;, the court heard.</p>
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	The social worker said the foster family had not yet booked a holiday as they did not want to go if they could not bring the baby.</p>
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	The judge said it was in the infant&rsquo;s interests to go on holiday and it was in the interests of the foster carers to be able to plan a holiday on a normal basis.</p>
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	Separately, the judge directed that specialist private therapy for a recovering alcoholic who hopes to be reunited with her children should be funded by the Child and Family Agency. He also extended the interim care order for her children.<br />
	The solicitor for the mother said her client had understood that if she remained sober, she could expect to have her children back.</p>
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	She said her client had &ldquo;done everything that had been asked of her&rdquo; including attending addiction services, remaining sober and getting a part-time job. She had also agreed to attend specialist therapy recommended by a parental capacity assessor, but the therapy had not yet been started.</p>
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	The assessor told the court the mother was performing well in terms of abstinence, but was not ready to take &ldquo;full responsibility for her children&rdquo;. The mother needed the specialist therapy so she could develop the ability to emotionally engage with her children at a &ldquo;consistent and appropriate level&rdquo;, the assessor said.</p>
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	A solicitor for the agency said a private therapist had been identified, but funding had not yet been approved. Waiting lists for the therapy within its own service were six months.</p>
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	<a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/children-in-care-to-have-holiday-abroad-without-parental-approval-court-rules-1.1819473">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/children-in-care-to-have-holiday-abroad-without-parental-approval-court-rules-1.1819473</a></p>
