A judge has imposed a full care order for newborn baby which tested positive for cocaine at birth
A Dublin judge has granted a full care order until age 18 for a five-month-old baby who tested positive for cocaine at birth. The court determined that the parents were unable to provide a safe environment due to ongoing addiction and family welfare concerns.
Why it matters
The case highlights the intersection of child protection services, parental addiction, and judicial intervention in cases of neonatal substance exposure.
A NEW-BORN BABY tested positive for cocaine after his mother late in her pregnancy returned a positive result for heroin, cocaine and cannabis, a court has heard.
At the Children’s Court in Dublin, Judge Conor Fottrell outlined the devastating story of how a baby, when born in January, “presented with withdrawal symptoms including tremors, sneezing, a high-pitched cry, and a toxicology test returned a positive result for cocaine”.
An emergency care order was secured by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency (CFA) on 15 January and Judge Fottrell records that the parents have not seen their child since January.
Judge Fottrell said that at a Child Protection Conference held shortly after birth, “the mother indicated that she did not feel she could care for the child at the time as she needed to address her addiction issues first”.
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