Child rights psychologists meet all Žlabiai family children

Psychologists from Lithuania’s State Child Rights Protection and Adoption Service met with all the children from the Žlabiai family on Friday, LRT reported, citing the news agency ELTA.

“Today, a meeting took place with the family’s children. Child rights psychologists spoke with all of them, heard their views and recorded their opinions,” Lina Baranauskienė, head of the service’s Vilnius County division, told ELTA.

Officials spoke with the youngest children at 10 a.m. and the older children at 1 p.m.

At least two earlier attempts to meet the children had been unsuccessful. The service has also received information about the children from healthcare providers and other institutions.

The service had previously decided to take the children from their parents, but has not yet taken that step because it decided to reassess the children’s situation. “We will have final decisions next week,” Baranauskienė said.

The case emerged in late July after a baby with Patau syndrome died at Kaunas Clinics, a hospital. The child rights service, which had not yet been informed of the death, decided to remove six children from the family, including the deceased baby.

Kaunas Clinics informed child rights officials about the baby’s serious condition but reported the death several days later. Child rights officials said the information about the baby’s condition was not the only reason for considering the removal of the other children from the Žlabiai family, which lives in Ukmergė District. They said the decision was based on the overall circumstances indicating a need to ensure the children’s safety.

Ukmergė District Mayor Darius Varnas told ELTA that the family refuses medical services and opposes vaccinations.

The Vilnius Regional Prosecutor’s Office has opened a pre-trial investigation into suspected abuse of parental rights or duties to establish the exact circumstances of the baby’s death.