Ellery's former fiancee and mother to Serenity, Chelsea Scott, was not at yesterday's hearing.
A source close to Ms Scott told the Weekend Herald that she had left a Hamilton bedsit she had shared with Ellery and was living with a whanau member in Auckland.
She has also rekindled ties with her estranged half-brother Drew Scott, who lived with her, Ellery and Serenity but moved to the South Island to stay with his grandfather after Serenity's death.
The source said Ms Scott was "absolutely" trying to have her two children, one of whom was fathered by Ellery, returned to her care and was working with several social agencies to see this happen.
Both children, the eldest a 6-year-old boy, are in Child, Youth and Family care.
Greg Versalko, Midlands regional director, said the children were living with approved caregivers and Ms Scott is allowed supervised visits to both of them.
"The older boy is living permanently with his extended family," he said. "The baby girl is safe and well and living with an approved CYF caregiver."
Mr Versalko said the long-term care of the girl was yet to be determined and a decision on whether she would be returned to Ms Scott would be made by the Family Court.
"The decision to remove a child from their parent's care is never taken lightly," said Mr Versalko.
"We removed both of these children because we held serious concerns for their safety."
A report under the Mentally Impaired Persons Act was ordered at Ellery's previous court appearance.
