There is an old Vietnamese proverb that says, ‘Brothers and Sisters are as close as hands and feet.’ This saying was never more apt than in the extraordinary nature of baby Elsa’s story, recently reported in the media. The story also illustrates how the Family Court consider future contact arrangements between children who have been adopted.
Elsa was believed to be about an hour old when she was found wrapped in a towel in a shopping bag at the edge of a park in East Ham. Hospital staff named her Elsa, after the character from the film Frozen.
Further enquires by social services and the police led to the discovery that Elsa had two full siblings who had been abandoned in similar circumstances. Roman was found in a play area in Newham in late January 2019, when freezing temperatures and snow gripped the city. And, in September 2017, Harry had been found wrapped in a white blanket in Plaistow.
Police have been unable to identify their mother, despite establishing a full DNA profile, reviewing hundreds of hours of CCTV footage and offering a £20,000 reward for three months last year.
Roman and Harry had been adopted by different families and Elsa’s future has been decided last week by the Family Court in London.
Over recent years, there has been a growing recognition amongst social work professionals and the Family Court that the approach to future contact between children and family members needed to change. The long-standing approach that adopted children should only have ‘letter box’ contact was seen to be outdated and failed to recognise the huge importance and lifelong nature of sibling relationships. Judges were encouraged to ‘set the template for future contact’ when making placement orders.
For Elsa, Her Honour Judge Atkinson, said that Elsa’s “best chance in life comes with a permanent placement in an alternative family”, and said: “These siblings share something quite extraordinary. No one that they will meet in life is likely to understand what it is like to be a foundling, but they each know and understand.”
At the hearing, the court heard that Elsa was thriving, that she was already living with her new family, and has a loving relationship with them.
Roman and Harry’s parents have agreed that Elsa should have regular meetings with her brothers as they grow up. They will share photographs and have playdates twice a year. The judge approved those arrangements.
As all the professionals and families involved had agreed the way forward, the judge did not have to make a decision about contact. However, it is clear that the importance of a continuing relationship between the children was at the heart of this case and is a powerful example of the life long bond between siblings.
