A mother whose seven kids had been taken away from her by social services is once again pregnant.
The woman is due to give birth to her eighth child later this year, family court judge Stephen Wildblood has been told.
Over the years, her ability to take care of a child has been evaluated a number of times – and every single assessment concluded that she couldn’t parent children adequately or safely, the judge said.
He said the woman, who is in her late 20’s, has experienced “so much distress and hardship” and has led a “very unsettled” life.
The judge said the woman is not able to “take charge” or focus on her child’s needs.
While giving his verdict, judge Wildblood also praised the “efforts” made by social workers who repeatedly tried to assess if she could take care of her child with some professional support.
The case was outlined in a ruling published online after a family court hearing took place earlier in June in Bristol.
Judge Wildblood didn’t name the council which provides welfare for the woman’s children and also said she couldn’t be named in media reports.
He said during the latest case involving the woman, he ruled that her seventh child should be taken away from her after concluding that she and her seventh child’s father couldn’t care for it.
Judge Wildblood said her current partner was suffering from several health problems.
“Over the years there have been many assessments, of many different kinds, of (the woman’s) ability to parent,” the judge said in his ruling.
“Each assessment has concluded that she does not have the ability to parent a child safely or adequately. The mother keeps getting pregnant despite the many difficulties that she, her partners and her children face.
“She has given birth to seven children in ten years and now is due to have another child…that will mean eight children in 11 years.”