Mother challenged special care decisions for N.K. in High Court

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

The mother of N.K. brought a High Court judicial review challenging decisions by the Child and Family Agency’s Special Care Referral Committee concerning his placement in special care. Mr Justice MacGrath delivered a judgment on 1 May 2019.

The committee’s decision of 29 March 2019 refused a social work department application to seek a special care placement. The challenge was later expanded to include a decision of 16 April, which said N.K.’s behaviour did not meet the special care threshold because there was no therapeutic benefit in readmission. It also said he needed consequences for his behaviour once efforts to engage him had been exhausted.

N.K.’s guardian ad litem supported the application. The available judgment extract does not disclose the court’s decision on the challenge.

This report covers an earlier stage of the case. Later developments are not reported here.