The woman known as SD, who cannot be named for legal reasons, faces two counts of common assault and two of intimidation after she was charged in October 2021.

A Parramatta Local Court hearing on Thursday was told SD allegedly physically assaulted a 10-year-old child in her care by kicking her, causing "pain discomfort and bruising" and striking her with a wooden spoon.

She also allegedly verbally abused the child over a sustained period of time.

The charges do not relate to William, who was aged three when he went missing in September 2014 from a home at Kendall on the NSW mid-north coast.

Magistrate Peter Feather said the agreed facts showed the 10-year-old child had become jealous when a six-year-old child was placed in the care of the parents in July 2021.

The magistrate said the older child began misbehaving or "acting up".

"(There were) difficulties in terms of dynamics in the family," Mr Feather said.

The court was told there had been an ongoing pattern of violence in the form of domestic violence.

A psychological report tendered in court found SD suffered from major depressive disorder and PTSD.

The judge found SD was unlikely to re-offend given all her foster children had been removed from her care.

However, he said the public interest was best served if the charges were dealt with by the criminal system and dismissed the application for them to be dealt with under the Mental Health Act that would have avoided a conviction.

In separate proceedings, William's foster father will face a hearing in January on separate charges.

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Australian Associated Press