The background facts
3.The mother has two children, the elder born in November 2007 and the younger in September 2008. In February 2011 they were removed from the mother’s care. In October 2011 they were made the subject of care and placement orders, the court dispensing with the mother’s consent in accordance with section 52(1)(b) of the 2002 Act. Contact between the mother and the children ceased in December 2011. The children were placed with prospective adopters in April 2012. An application for adoption followed in 2013. It was listed before Parker J on 7 May 2013. The mother applied under section 47(5) of the Act for leave to oppose the adoption. The basis of her application was that there had been what MacFarlane LJ described as “an astonishing change of circumstances” since the making of the care and placement orders. Parker J gave a full judgment explaining why she refused the mother’s application and then proceeded to make adoption orders. We return below to consider Parker J’s reasoning. Parker J refused the mother permission to appeal.