A full care order has been granted for a baby born addicted to cocaine whose parents left him “for long periods” after his birth. Describing the case as “very sad” Dublin District Court Judge Conor Fottrell, said the mother was “very vulnerable” with a long history of “homelessness, substance misuse, domestic violence and mental health issues”. In a decision published on Friday, he said while the five-month-old baby was now healthy and thriving in a safe environment, it was “not clear whether his early life experiences will have any long-term negative impact on him”. The case in which Tusla sought a care order for the baby until his 18th birthday was before the court last month. Neither parent attended the hearing. While both were legally represented their solicitors had not received instructions. Tusla had been contacted by a maternity hospital in September 2025, four months before the baby’s birth, due to concerns the mother had not attended antenatal appointments. Concerns for her and the baby’s welfare included that “she was homeless and sleeping rough, and toxicology testing completed late in her pregnancy returned a positive result for heroin, cocaine and cannabis”. Her son was born in early January 2026. “Following his birth, he presented with withdrawal symptoms including tremors, sneezing, a high-pitched cry and a toxicology test returned a positive result for cocaine,” said the judge.“Both parents left the child in the neonatal intensive care unit for long periods of time over the following few days and the mother was discharged from the hospital as she was not present on the ward following the child’s birth.”An emergency care order was granted in mid-January, to last a couple of days. The parents agreed to a voluntary care arrangement for eight weeks and a longer-term foster-placement was found, where the infant still lives.Shortly after the birth, the mother indicated she did not feel she could care for the baby “as she needed to address her addiction issues first”. She wanted the father or his family to care for the child. There were, however, issues with the vetting process. The baby’s social worker arranged parental access visits for three times a week. Despite “repeated efforts to contact the parents” no access happened and they have not had contact with their son since soon after his birth. The baby’s court-appointed advocate said he was “absolutely adored” in his foster family and “so well looked after by other children” there who all “fight over who can hold and look after him when they return home from school”. He was “alert, smiling” and thriving, she said supporting Tusla’s application for a full care order until boy’s 18th birthday. “This is a very sad case where the application before the court is for a full care order to the age of 18 years in respect of a five-month-old baby,” said the judge. The mother “is extremely vulnerable and will require significant help and support in dealing with her difficulties and it will take time for her to address her chronic drug use”.Granting the order, the judge said the parents could at any time re-engage with Tusla. “Currently there is no evidence of any change in relation to their addiction, homelessness, or ability to engage with professionals.”