The British government is under fire for taking away into their “care” a 15 year old troublesome Zimbabwean boy from his mother who were flying past London en route to Harare, in a case that has sent shockwaves in the Zim diaspora community there, as the boy took advantage of the British police system by saying that he does not like his home country, Zimbabwe.
What further irked Zimbabweans was the fact that the Zimbabwean and Canadian embassies were not informed on time of the actions taken by UK. The boy has both Zimbabwean and Canadian citizenship.
Families this week blew their horn in online protests after the lad, an offspring of a well known South African religious leader, was taken into British care even though he has no UK residency and was in transit past the island country to Harare. Current legal guidelines until this week barred British social workers from taking the children of foreigners into care.
What shocked the Zimbabwean community was the fact that there is now a legal precedent which empowers foreign children to obtain an easy way to live on British taxpayer funds.
The lad, whose identity cannot be disclosed due to his age, was traveling back to Zimbabwe in March when upon arriving in the UK, he sought police help claiming that his mother was abusing him by forcing him to return to Zimbabwe.
Investigations showed that contrary to claims of abuse raised by the 15 year old, the lad actually has a posh life as is also enrolled at Harare’s expensive Eaglesvale Secondary School.
Police investigations which cleared the mother of any wrong doing also found the boy was a trouble maker in Switzerland, where he lived for over a year. It was unearthed that there is no case whatsoever against the mother as boy had earlier claimed to British police. Court documents reflect that at that tender age, he is now not only a habitual cannabis drug taker, but a trouble maker.
The Father together with the known church leader(grandfather), have not played any part in the child’s life and not been notified of these proceedings, the court found.
There was no order or determination made that the mother is incapable of taking  care of her child other than the decision to uphold the lad’s protest that he does not want to return to Harare.
But last week’s interim order stated that the lad is now placed in the care of the London Borough of Sutton until the finalisation of the proceedings or further order.  The verdict read in part:
 

16. EXPERTS

1. An application was made for the instruction of an expert in Canadian Law relating to the potential placement of the lad in a kinship placement in Alberta.

1. The local authority shall take the lead in instructing a lawyer qualified in the state of Alberta to advise on the legality of placement options for the child in Canada in the event that the court makes a care order or supervision order or special guardianship order or child arrangement order in favour of the sister and to advise on whether mirror orders can be obtained and the legal procedure to do this.

1. the local authority shall take the lead on the instruction on 7 August 2015

1. the local authority shall dispatch the agreed letter of instruction by 4pm on 11 August 2015

1. Such advice to be filed and served by 4pm on 24 September 2015.

17. OTHER ORDERS

1. The respondent mother the mother’s application in her letter dated 30 July 2015 to discharge the order of 21 May 2015 and any other court related order is hereby refused.

1. The need for the local authority to file and serve a formal part 25 compliant application in respect of the instruction of an expert in Canadian law be dispensed with

1. The Local authority is to use their best endeavours to serve notice of these proceedings on the Father, (Name Withheld) by 4pm on 27 August 2015, such notice to include service of the application, case summaries filed by the local authority, position statements filed on behalf of the Child’s Guardian, orders made by the court and contact details for the local authority solicitor. Permission for substituted service of notice of these proceedings and the above documents via the father’s lawyers in South Africa.

1. In the event that the Father wishes to take part in these proceedings he shall contact the Local Authority forthwith and, if so advised, shall seek an urgent directions appointment which the Court shall list as a matter of urgency.

1. The time for the Local Authority, as holders of parental responsibility for the lad under an interim care order, to apply for a replacement passport for the lad from the Canadian Embassy in London is extended to 4.00pm on 3 August 2015. Upon issue the London Borough of Sutton shall hold the replacement passport for the boy until further order.

1. The Local authority shall file and serve a kinship assessment on the child’s sister who is in Canada, known as a Home Study Report, such assessment to be filed no later than by 4pm on 5 November 2015. This assessment shall either be completed by a local authority social worker employee or agent of the London Borough of Sutton working in co-operation with Alberta Social Services, such assessment to be agreed in advance with the Alberta social services and Canadian Central authority. In the event that such agreement is not forthcoming by 4pm on 10 August 2015, the London Borough of Sutton shall instruct CFAB Child and Families Across Borders to complete the Home Study Report.

1. The local authority shall by 4pm on 3 August 2015 complete the CFAB referral form.

1. The local authority shall by 4pm on 3 August 2015 contact Anne Scully or her colleague, working at the Delegated Central Authority under the Hague Convention Alberta Ministry of Human Services to enquire whether the Central Authority would agree for a local authority social worker employee or agent of the London Borough of Sutton to work in co-operation with Alberta Social Services to carry out a Home Study Report in respect of the sister in Canada, requesting a response by 4pm on 10 August.

1. The Local Authority shall file its final evidence, final threshold and final care plan for the lad by 4.00pm on 20 November 2015. The local authority final evidence shall review and discuss all of the possible options for the lad and provide a balance sheet of all the advantages and disadvantages of each potential option.

1. The local authority shall by 4.00pm on 20 November 2015 file and serve a statement setting out the efforts made to trace the father prior to the final hearing listed below.

1. The Mother shall file and serve a position statement by 11am on 25 November 2015