After infant's death, multi-child family refuses to cooperate with child welfare services

A multi-child family in Lithuania is reportedly refusing to cooperate with the State Child Rights Protection and Adoption Service (VVTAĮT) following the death of their infant. The parents have denied access to their home and have not responded to calls from child welfare specialists.

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However, with just over an hour left until the scheduled meeting time, the family representative informed that the parents had changed their minds.

According to Lina Baranauskienė, head of the VVTAĮT's Vilnius County Department, psychologists were scheduled to interview the children on August 4, 2026, with the mother's prior agreement. However, just over an hour before the meeting, the family's representative informed the service that the parents had changed their minds. Consequently, the planned interviews could not take place, and the VVTAĮT officials were unable to enter the family's home.

Baranauskienė stated that the VVTAĮT is prepared to visit the family's home again to hear the children's opinions, but emphasized that the children's statements are crucial for further decisions. The municipality has decided to provide the family with social housing support.

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We were at the family's home, but the parents did not let us in, and did not answer the calls. We are ready to come to the family's home again and listen to the children's opinions tomorrow.

The situation gained public attention after a lawyer's assistant shared the story of the family from the Ukmergė district. Their infant, born in May with Patau syndrome, a rare genetic disorder, died at Kaunas Clinics. The family received notification from the VVTAĮT to remove all children, including the deceased infant, shortly after the baby's death. The VVTAĮT explained this inclusion as an administrative error due to a delayed notification of the infant's passing.

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The VVTAĮT previously informed 'Elta' that an error occurred in this case – the service only learned about the baby's death a few days later, so the deceased girl was formally included in the decision to take the child from the family.

Child rights advocates noted that information about the infant's critical condition was not the sole reason for the decision to remove the children. They cited a combination of circumstances necessitating the assurance of the children's safety. Despite the decision to remove the children, the VVTAĮT has not yet filed a court request for permission, indicating a possibility to change their decision if the parents agree to cooperate. The family has been known to VVTAĮT specialists since 2018. Separately, prosecutors have launched a pre-trial investigation into the infant's death, examining whether the parents' alleged delay in seeking medical help contributed to the life-threatening condition.

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Child rights defenders indicated that information about the infant's critical condition, who later died, was not the sole reason for the decision to take the children from the family living in the Ukmergė district.