The British toddler who was taken from her parents for her own safety on Sunday has been released from hospital and will be going back to Belfast.
The girl spent three nights in Faro hospital after complaints about her mother’s drunken behaviour led to the police being called and removing the child from the Paraíso Hotel in Albufeira.
A family court session in Portimão looked at the events and passed the case to the local Child Protection Committee in Albufeira, but after all these investigations the girl has been released and can go home with her parents who have not been held.
The couple were interviewed in Albufeira and apparently have agreed to be monitored by social services back in Belfast. This means no penalty will be imposed here and with their names remaining unknown to the press, it could be that the shame of their behaviour remains a personal burden.
Consular staff in Portimão will have been involved in their quietly efficient manner and the result is a good one for the family who hopefully will learn from their experiences with Portugal’s child protection services and the local police.
