Section 20 of the Children Act 1989 - 08 A guidance note ... · PDF fileSection 20 of the Children Act 1989 - A guidance note for parents & professionals 2 CONTENTS GENERAL EXPLANATION

Section20oftheChildrenAct1989-Aguidancenotefor

parents&professionals

TheTransparencyProject

February2016

www.transparencyproject.org.uk

[email protected]

(CharityRegistrationno:1161471)

08

Section20oftheChildrenAct1989-Aguidancenoteforparents&professionals

2

CONTENTS

GENERALEXPLANATION 4

WHATTHISGUIDANCEAPPLIESTO 5

SUMMARYOFKEYISSUES 6

PART1:SECTION20ACCOMMODATIONANDPARENTALRESPONSIBILITY 7

WHATHAPPENSIFONEPARENTAGREESBUTTHEOTHERDOESNOT? 8

WHATWEIGHTISGIVENTOTHECHILD’SVIEWS? 9

PART2:THERESPONSIBILITIESOFTHESOCIALWORKERWHENASKINGPARENTSTOAGREETO

SECTION20ACCOMMODATION 10

ONLYPEOPLEWITH‘CAPACITY’CANAGREETOSECTION20ACCOMMODATION 11

PARENTSMUSTHAVETHERELEVANTINFORMATION 12

OTHERIMPORTANTCONSIDERATIONSFORTHESOCIALWORKER 12

EXAMPLESOFSITUATIONSWHICHARELIKELYTOBEPARTICULARLYDIFFICULT: 13

SECTION20ACCOMMODATIONFORANEWBORNBABY 13

PARENTSWHODONOTHAVEENGLISHASTHEIRFIRSTLANGUAGE 14

SHOULDTHEPARENTS’AGREEMENTBERECORDEDINWRITING? 14

PART3:LAWFULOPTIONSFORREMOVALOFACHILD:WHATHAPPENSIFTHEPARENTSHAVE

AGREEDTOSECTION20ACCOMMODATIONBUTTHENCHANGETHEIRMINDS? 16

SOMECONSIDERATIONSABOUTUSINGPOLICEPOWERSTOREMOVEACHILD 17

PART4:PLANNINGFORTHECHILD’SFUTURE 18

PART5:SECTION20ACCOMMODATIONAND‘SCHEDULESOFEXPECTATIONS’ 19

PART6:OTHERISSUES 21

SECTION22OFTHEADOPTIONANDCHILDRENACT2002 21

FOSTERINGFORADOPTIONPLACEMENTS 21


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REVIEWANDMONITORINGOFACHILD’SCAREPLAN 22

MAKINGPARENTSPAYFORSECTION20ACCOMMODATION? 23

PARENTSONBAILWITHACONDITIONNOTTOCONTACTTHEIRCHILDREN? 23

PART7:POSSIBLEBENEFITSOFSECTION20 24

ANNEX1:TEXTOFSECTION20CHILDRENACT1989 25

ANNEX2:MODELAGREEMENT 27


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We’veputthewordingofSection20oftheChildrenAct1989attheendofthisGuidance,at

Annex1.We’regoingtousetheabbreviation‘s.20’torefertosection20inthisdocument.

Inbrief,s.20isaboutalocalauthority(socialservices/childrens’services)providing

accommodationforchildrenwhodonothavesomewheresuitabletolive.Itissometimes

called‘voluntarycare’or‘voluntaryaccommodation’becauseusuallyparentsmustagree

tothechildbeingaccommodated.

S.20‘accommodation’isnotjusthousing.Itistakingachildintothecaresystemby

agreementratherthanbycourtorder.Thelocalauthorityisresponsiblefortakingcareof

thechildwhiletheyareins.20accommodation.

Thisguideisaboutmakingdecisionstouses.20andhowitshouldbedone.

Theguidancenoteisgeneralguidanceonlyandmustnotbetreatedaslegaladvice.

Youcanfindmoreinformationonhowalocalauthoritymustcareforachildins.20

accommodationintheFamilyRightsGroupAdviceSheet11:‘DutiesonChildren’sServices

whenchildrenareinthecaresystem’,availableontheFamilyRightsGroup(FRG)website

(www.frg.org.uk).

Childrenwithnowheretoliveincludethosewhohaveno-onetolookafterthem,for

example,iftheyarerefugeeswhohavetravelledtotheUKontheirown.Theymayalso

includethosewhoseparentscan’tlookafterthemforaperiodoftime,duetoillnessor

otherdifficulties.

Alocalauthoritymayalsooffertoprovides.20accommodationforachildwhenthatlocal

authorityhasmadeanapplicationtocourtforacareorsupervisionorder,oristhinking

aboutmakinganapplication.Iftheparentsconsent(agree)tos.20accommodation,their

childwillthenmovetofostercarewhilethelocalauthoritycarriesoutfurtherinvestigations

orthecourtcasestarts.

GENERALEXPLANATION


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Whereparentsagreetheirchildshouldbeaccommodatedunders.20,thereisnoneedfora

localauthoritytoapplytocourttogetanorderbeforethechildisaccommodated:the

decisiontoaccommodatethechildismadebythelocalauthorityafterobtainingthe

parents’consent.Becauses.20canbeusedwithoutajudgefirstbeinginvolved,itisvery

importantthatitisonlyusedwheneveryoneunderstandswhatishappeningandwhy.The

courtmaystillbeinvolvedlateronifthereisadisputeorifthelocalauthoritydecidethat

thechildreallycan’treturnhome.

Therehavebeenanumberofrecentcaseswherejudgeshavebeencriticaloftheuseof

s.20;forexample,wherechildrenwereaccommodatedformanymonthswithoutaclear

planabouttheirfuture.Therehavealsobeenexamplesofparentswhohavecomplained

thattheydidnotunderstandwhatwasinvolvedins.20accommodationanditwasnot

explainedtothemproperlyatthetime.

Wehopethisguidancewillbeusefultoparents,fostercarersandprofessionals(e.g.social

workers)inunderstandingwhens.20accommodationcanbeusedandtheimplicationsof

usingormisusingit.

Thisguidancerelatesonlytochildrenagedunder16,astherearedifferentconsiderations

whereyoungpeopleaged16and17areaccommodatedunders.20(Forexampleover16’s

cangoorstayinthecaresystemunders.20againsttheirparent’swishesandthelocal

authoritycanagreetheircareplanwiththemdirectly).

Atthedateofwriting,thisguidanceappliestoEnglandandWales(notScotland),butfrom

April2016,thispartoftheChildrenActwillnolongerapplyinWales.

WHATTHISGUIDANCEAPPLIESTO


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Wesetoutthekeypointshereandexplaintheminmoredetailbelow:

1. S.20doesNOTallowthelocalauthoritytoshareparentalresponsibilitywiththe

parents,whocanremovetheirchildrenfroms.20accommodationatanytime.

(‘Parentalresponsibility’isalegaltermwhichincludestherighttomakedecisions

forthechild).

2. Thesocialworkerhasaresponsibilitytomakesurethatparentsaregenuinely

agreeingtos.20accommodation.Ifthesocialworkerisworriedthattheparentsdo

notunderstand,thesocialworkershouldgetfurtheradviceaboutwhattodo.

3. Iftheparentsdonotagreetos.20accommodation,thereareonlytwolawful

optionsavailabletoalocalauthoritytoremoveachildfromtheircare–eitherasking

thepolicetoexercisetheirpowerstoremoveforashortperiodoftime(upto72

hours,seesection46oftheChildrenAct1989)orbymakinganapplicationtothe

courtforanEmergencyProtectionOrderoranInterimCareOrder(theseare

temporaryorders).

4. Ifachildgoesintofostercareunders.20,thereshouldbeclearplansaboutthe

child’sfuture-ifthelocalauthorityareworriedthattheparentscan’tlookafterthe

childinthelongterm,theymustthinkaboutapplyingtothecourtforacareorder,

ratherthanlettingthechild‘drift’ins.20accommodation.Buttheycanuses.20to

accommodateachildwhilsttheycarryoutassessmentsthatareneededbeforegood

decisionscanbemadeforthechild.

5. Anyagreementthattheparentisaskedtosignshouldbewrittenclearlyandshould

beinsimple,unambiguousterms.Wehaveattachedanexampleofa‘modelwritten

agreement’atAnnex2tothisGuidance,whichhasbeenkindlymadeavailableby

Brighton&HoveCityCouncil.

SUMMARYOFKEYISSUES


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ThelocalauthoritydoesNOTshareparentalresponsibilitywiththeparentsifachildis

accommodatedunders.20.Thisisverydifferenttothesituationwhenachildlivesaway

fromhomeunderacareorder–thenalocalauthorityDOESshareparentalresponsibility

andisinchargeofmakingmostimportantdecisionsaboutachild’slife;forexamplewhere

heorshelivesorwhoheorshehascontactwith.

Thesedifferencesareveryimportant.Aslongasitispractical,thelocalauthoritymust

agreetheplanstheymakeforthechildwithparents(andanyoneelsewhohasparental

responsibilityforthechild);andsincethelocalauthoritydoesnotshareparental

responsibilityunders.20,theparentscantaketheirchildhomeatanytimeUNLESSoneof

thefollowingdisagrees:

• Someonewhohasachildarrangementsorderwhichsaysthatthechildliveswith

him/her,

• Someonewhohasaspecialguardianshiporder,or

• SomeonewhohascareofthechildbyaspecialorderoftheHighCourt(wardship–

thisisrare).

• BeforethedecisionofthecourtinthecaseofReN[2015](seebelow)itusedtobe

commonforlocalauthoritiestoaskparentstoagreea‘noticeperiod’iftheywanted

totaketheirchildrenhome,forexample7days.Itisnowclearthatthecourtsare

unlikelytoconsiderthisgoodpractice,asthelocalauthorityhasnopowertorequire

sucharestrictionontheparents’righttoexercisetheirparentalresponsibilityfor

theirchild.S20doesn’tallowalocalauthoritytorefusetogiveaparentinformation

aboutwherethechildisliving.

PART1

SECTION20ACCOMMODATION&PARENTALRESPONSIBILITY


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Iftheparentswon’tagreetos.20accommodation,theirchildcanonlyberemovedbycourt

orderortemporarilybytheinterventionofthepoliceusingtheirpowersundersection46of

theChildrenAct1989.Weexplainthisinmoredetailbelow.

Sometimes,oneparentagreestos.20accommodationbuttheotherparentobjects.

S.20(7)saysthatthelocalauthoritycannotprovideaccommodationforachildifthereis

someonewhohasparentalresponsibilityforthechildandwhoobjects.Ifalocalauthority

thinksthatachildneedstobelookedafterbythemandoneparentobjectstheywillusually

needtoapplytocourtforanordertoallowthat(orinemergencythepolicemayremove

thechildtemporarily–seebelow).

Ifaparentcannotbefound,thisdoesnotprevents.20beingusediftheotherparent/

anyoneelsewithparentalresponsibilityagrees,butasamatterofgoodpractice,alocal

authorityshouldalwaystrytogettheconsentofeveryonewhohasparentalresponsibility.

S.20onlyrequirestheconsentofanyonewhoholds‘parentalresponsibility’.Notevery

fatherwillhaveparentalresponsibilityforhischildren,buthewillifheisonthebirth

certificateofhischild,registeredafter1December2003,orwasmarriedtotheirmother

whenthechildwasborn.Otherpeoplewhomayhaveparentalresponsibilityforachild

includetheirSpecialGuardians,peoplewhoarenamedinachildarrangementsorderasa

personthatthechildliveswith,civilpartners,stepparentsandsecondsame-sexparents

(dependingonthecircumstances).SeeFRGAdviceSheet2:‘ParentalResponsibility’for

moreinformationonthemanywaystoobtainparentalresponsibility.

WHATHAPPENSIFONEPARENTAGREESBUTTHEOTHERDOESNOT?


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Unders.20(6),thelocalauthorityshouldmakeanefforttofindoutwhatthechildthinks

abouts.20accommodationandgive‘dueconsideration’tothewishesandfeelingsofthe

child.

Obviously,foraveryyoungchild,thisisnotgoingtobepossible.Olderchildren(under16)

shouldbelistenedtobutwillnotbeabletovetoadecisionabouts.20accommodationif

theirparentsagreetoitandthelocalauthoritythinksuchaccommodationisconsistentwith

thechild’swelfare.

WHATWEIGHTISGIVENTOTHECHILD’SVIEWS?


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Therehavebeenanumberofimportantlegalcaseswhichdealtwiths.20accommodation

whichwentwrongbecausetheparentsdidnotunderstandwhatwasgoingon,felt

pressuredintoagreeing,orwherematterswerelefttodriftformanymonthswithoutclear

plansabouttheirchild’sfuture.

Thesearesomeimportantrecentdecisions:

• ReCA(ABaby)[2012]EWHC2190(Fam)

• WilliamsandAnothervLondonBoroughofHackney[2015]EWHC2629QB

• MedwayCouncilvMandT(ByherChildren’sGuardian)[2015]EWFCB164

• ReN(Children)(Adoption:Jurisdiction)[2015]EWCACiv1112

Thesecasessetoutusefulguidancethatwethinkitwouldbeusefulforsocialworkersto

read.Theycanbefoundatwww.BAILII.org.Thisguidancenoteisbasedonwhatthosecases

say.

Itisimportantthatprofessionalsunderstandwhatthecourthassaidisimportantaboutthe

useofs.20accommodation.Alocalauthoritythatplacesachildins.20accommodation

withoutmeetingthenecessarylegalrequirements,isnotonlyseparatingparentsand

childrenunlawfullyandcausingemotionalharmtothefamily,butalsorunningariskthatat

somelaterstageacourtmayfindthemtohaveactedunlawfully.Thecourtcouldthenorder

thelocalauthoritytopaycompensationtotheparentsand/orthechildforbreachoftheir

Article8righttorespectfortheirprivateandfamilylifeundertheEuropeanConventionof

HumanRights.

PART2

THERESPONSIBILITIESOFTHESOCIALWORKERWHENASKINGPARENTSTOAGREETOSECTION20ACCOMMODATION


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Everyparentwhoisabletomakedecisionshastherighttoagreetos.20accommodation

fortheirchild.Beingabletomakedecisionsisdescribedbylawyersas‘havingcapacity’.If

theydon’thavecapacity,parentscannotgivegenuineconsenttos.20accommodationand

thesocialworkerwillhavetogetfurtheradviceaboutwhattodonext.

Theissueof‘capacity’isexplainedinsections2and3oftheMentalCapacityAct2005.Ifan

adulthaseitherapermanentortemporaryproblemwiththeirmentalfunctioning,theywill

besaidto‘lackcapacity’tomakeadecisionifthey:

• Can’tunderstandtheinformationwhichisrelevanttothedecision;OR

• Can’tretaintheinformationaboutthedecision;OR

• Can’tuseorweighupthatinformationaspartofthedecisionmakingprocess;OR

• Can’tcommunicatetheirdecision,byspeech,signlanguageoranyothermeans;

Thesocialworkerisunderapersonaldutytobesatisfiedthattheparentshavecapacityto

givetheirconsent.Obviously,someonewhoisunconsciousinhospitaldoesnothave

capacitytomakedecisions,butotherexamplesarenotsoclear-cut.Capacitycanchange

overtimeandmaydependonwhatkindofdecisionaparentisbeingaskedtomake.For

example,aparentmayhavecapacitytodecidewhattheywanttoeatthatdaybutNOT

havecapacitytomakedecisionsaboutmorecomplicatedissues.Ifthereisdoubtabout

whetherornotsomeonehascapacity,thenanexpertassessmentwillbeneededandthe

socialworkershouldtakeurgentadvice.

Aperson’scapacitycanfluctuate(change)–forexamplesomebodywhohasmentalhealth

problemsbutwhonormallyhascapacitytomakedecisionsmaylosethatcapacityin

momentsofveryhighstress.

ONLYPEOPLEWITH‘CAPACITY’CANAGREETOSECTION20ACCOMMODATION


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Onceasocialworkerissatisfiedthataparenthasthelegalcapacitytodecideabouts.20

accommodation,thenextimportantissueistoensurethattheparentshavetherelevant

informationinordertomakethebestchoicefortheirchild.

Someusefulquestionsforthesocialworkertoaskarewhetherornottheparents:

• understandtheconsequencesofconsentorrefusal?

• appreciatethefullrangeofchoicesavailable?

• knowalltherelevantfacts?

TherecouldbeparticularproblemswhendealingwithparentswhodonotspeakEnglishas

theirfirstlanguageorwhoareunfamiliarwiththechildprotectionsysteminthiscountry.

Carewillhavetobetakentoensurethattheyunderstandwhatisbeingdiscussed,byusing

interpretersifnecessary.Wediscussthisfurtherbelow.

Onceasocialworkerissatisfiedthattheparentshavebothcapacityandtherelevant

informationtomakeadecision,thecaselawidentifiesfurtherimportantprincipleswhich

thesocialworkershouldconsider:

• Thecurrentphysicalandpsychologicalstateoftheparent,whetherornottheyhave

alawyer,orhavebeenencouragedtoseeklegaladvice.

• Whetheritisnecessaryforthechild’ssafetytoberemovedatthistimeorwhetherit

wouldbefairertoseekacareorderfromthecourt.Ifthesituationappearstobe

particularlyurgentandserious,itisusuallybettertoseekacourtorder.Courtsare

abletomakeordersatshortnoticeincasesofemergency,evenoutofnormaloffice

hours.

PARENTSMUSTHAVETHERELEVANTINFORMATION

OTHERIMPORTANTCONSIDERATIONSFORTHESOCIALWORKER


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• Removingachildtolivewithunrelatedfostercarersunders.20mustbeanecessary

andproportionateresponsetothelocalauthority’sconcernsaboutachild’swelfare

–ifthereissomeothersafealternativethatallowsachildtoremainathomeorwith

familymembers,removalisunlikelytobenecessaryandproportionate.

• Parentsmustbetoldtheyhavearighttotakelegaladvice.

• Parentsmustbetoldtheyhavearighttowithdrawtheirconsenttos.20

accommodationatanytime–theydonothavetogivethelocalauthorityadvance

warningandtheyshouldnotbeaskedtodothis.

Thisislikelytobeaveryhigh-pressureandstressfulsituation.Thecourtshavesaidthats.20

canbeusedtoaccommodatebabies,butclearlythesocialworkerisgoingtohavetotake

extracaretomakesuretheparentsunderstandwhatisgoingonandarenotfeelingunder

pressureto‘agree’tosomethingtheydon’twant.

Thecourtshavealsomadeitplainthatthepracticeofhavingapoliceofficerpresentor

nearbyduringdiscussionsabouts.20,withtheexplicitorimpliedthreatof“ifyoudon’t

agree,thepoliceofficerwillremovethechild”iscompletelyunacceptable.

Therefore,ifasocialworkerhasseriousconcernsaboutthesafetyofanew-bornbaby,itis

likelytobeabettercourseofactiontoseekacourtorderratherthantheparents’consent

tos.20accommodation.

EXAMPLESOFSITUATIONSWHICHARELIKELYTOBEPARTICULARLYDIFFICULT:

SECTION20ACCOMMODATIONFORANEWBORNBABY


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IfthesocialworkerthinkstheparentsarehavingdifficultiescommunicatinginEnglish,this

hasobviousimplicationsfortheirabilitytogiverealconsentunders.20.

Thesocialworkerwillneedtoconsidergettinghelpfromaqualifiedinterpreterandthinking

abouthowrelevantdocumentscanbetranslated.Ifitisnotpossibletotranslatethe

documentsbeforeaskingtheparentstosignanywrittenconsent,itissensibletorecordin

thedocumentthatithasbeenreadtotheparentandexplainedintheirfirstlanguage.

Thereisnolegalrequirementforthistohappenbutitisalwaysagoodideatogetthe

parentstosignadocumentsayingthattheyconsenttotheirchildbeingaccommodated

unders.20.LocalguidancefromHisHonourJudgeBellamy,publishedbytheLeicester

FamilyJusticeBoardinJanuary2016,suggestedthat,asaminimum,suchadocument

shouldcontain:

• Thenamesoftheparents

• Thenamesanddatesofbirthoftherelevantchildren

• Thenameandstatusoftheprofessionalwhoisgettingtheparents’agreement

• Thedate,timeandplacewherethedocumentissigned

• Somedetailsaboutwhatcontactthereisgoingtobebetweentheparentsandthe

child(ren).

Weagreethatissensibleandgoodpractice.

Whetherornottheparents’consentisobtainedinwriting,itissensibleforthesocial

workertomaketheirownwrittennotesassoonaspossibleaboutwhathappened.

A‘modelwrittenagreement’issetoutatAnnex2attheendofthisguidance.ManyLocal

Authoritieshavelongtickboxformssettingoutwhatsortsofdecisionsaparentdoesand

doesnotagreecanbetakenbyafostercarerorlocalauthorityontheirbehalf(from

medicaltreatmenttoschooltrips).Thesecanbeconfusingandcaremustbetakento

PARENTSWHODONOTHAVEENGLISHASTHEIRFIRSTLANGUAGE

SHOULDTHEPARENTS’AGREEMENTBERECORDEDINWRITING?


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explainthemtoparentsandtosensitivelymakesurethatliteracydifficultiesarenot

affectingtheirabilitytounderstandwhattheyaresigning.


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Iftheparentsdonotwanttheirchildtoremainins.20accommodation,theycanwithdraw

theirconsentatanytimeandaskthattheirchildisreturnedtotheircare.

Ifthelocalauthoritythinksthatreturningthechildtotheparentswouldnotbethebest

thingforthechild,theyhaveonlytwolawfuloptionstopreventthechildreturning:

• Requestthatthepoliceexercisetheirpowerstotakeachildtoaplaceofsafetyfor

upto72hoursundersection46oftheChildrenAct1989.Thisissometimes

(wrongly)calledaPoliceProtectionOrderbutitisNOTanorderasthecourtisnot

involved;theChildrenAct1989allowsthePolicetoactwithoutacourtorderforthis

shortperiodonly.OR

• ApplytothecourtforanEmergencyProtectionOrderorInterimCareOrder.

Insomesituations,parentsmightbebetteroffiftherewasanapplicationforacareorder.

Someofthebenefitsofbeing‘incourt’are:

• Thecourtwillbeinchargeofcheckingoverthelocalauthority’splansforthechild

andwillmakesurethatastricttimetableof26weeksappliesbywhichtimeafinal

decisionmustnormallybemade.

• Thecourtcanmakeordersaboutcontactbetweentheparentsandchild(section34

oftheChildrenAct1989)ifthechildrenareremoved.

• ThechildwillhaveanindependentChildren’sGuardianappointedbythecourtto

representtheirinterests.Thechildwillqualifyforlegalaidandwillberepresentedat

courtbyalawyer.

• Theparentshaveanautomaticentitlementtolegalaidincareproceedingsandwill

thereforehavethebenefitoffreelegalrepresentationandadvice.

PART3:

LAWFULOPTIONSFORREMOVALOFACHILD:WHATHAPPENSIFTHEPARENTSHAVE

AGREEDTOSECTION20ACCOMMODATIONBUTTHENCHANGETHEIRMINDS?


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• Thecourtmightnotauthorisetheremovalofthechildren.Ajudgecanrefuseto

makeaninterimcareorderoremergencyprotectionorderiftheythinkthelocal

authorityhasgotthingswrong.

Asageneralrule,theseparationofaparentandchildshouldusuallybeadecisionfora

court.Ifitispossibletoseekacourthearing,thatshouldbedone.Thepoliceshouldnotbe

askedtousetheirpowersofprotectiontobypassthecourtandtheparenthavingafair

hearingaboutremoval.Policeprotectionshouldnotbeusedbecauseitisconsidered

quickeroreasierattheendofaworkingday.Courtsareabletomakeordersatshortnotice

incasesofemergency,evenoutofnormalofficehours.

Ifadecisionistakentoremoveachildunderpoliceprotectionratherthangotocourt,there

mustbewhollyexceptionalreasonsforthis.Thoseinvolvedwouldneedtoshownotonly

thattherewasaneedforseparation,butthatthisneedhasarisenbecausenoother

reasonablestepscouldbetakentokeepthechildsafeWHILSTacourthearingwas

arranged.Thelocalauthorityhastotryveryhardtomakealternativearrangementssothat

thedecisioncanbemadebythecourt.Forexample,ifforsomereasonachildcannotsafely

remainathome–cantheystaywithafriendorgrandparentovernightuntilahearingat

courtcanbearrangedtodecidewhatshouldhappennext?

Itisvitalthatfullanddetailedrecordsofthedecision-makingprocessarekept,andthat

thoseinvolvedsetoutclearlywhateffortsweremadetoobtainacourthearingandwhythe

riskcouldnotbemanageduntilthathearing.

Misuseofpoliceprotectiontoremoveachildcanresultinunfairnessandhumanrights

breaches,andthecourtmayholddetailedenquiriesastowhythishashappenedandmay

awardcompensation.

SOMECONSIDERATIONSABOUTUSINGPOLICEPOWERSTOREMOVEACHILD


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Thecasessetoutabovehavehighlightedthecourts’seriousconcernsabouts.20

accommodationwhichgoesonfortoolong,particularlyifthechildisjust‘drifting’inthat

timeandtherearenoclearplansaboutwhetherornotthechildshouldreturntothe

parentsorbelookedafterpermanentlybysomeoneelse.Delaysindecisionmakingfor

childrenaregenerallyconsideredtohaveaverynegativeimpactonchildrenunlesssuch

delayis‘plannedandpurposeful’.

HisHonourJudgeBellamy(theDesignatedFamilyJudgeforLeicester)issuedguidancein

January2016whichstatesthats.20isNOTintendedtobealongtermalternativetocare

proceedingsbutisrathera‘shorttermmeasurependingthecommencementofcare

proceedings’(paragraph18).TheGuidancesuggeststhatanychildwhoisaccommodated

formorethan3monthsshouldhavetheircasereviewedbyseniormanagement.Thatisjust

theviewofonejudgebutothersarelikelytoholdsimilarviewsinlightofthecaseofReN.

PART4:

PLANNINGFORTHECHILD’SFUTURE


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Often,s.20agreementsgohandinhandwithotherwrittendocuments,oftencalled

‘schedulesofexpectations’ora‘writtenagreement’,whichsetoutwhatthelocalauthority

wouldliketheparentstodoorstopdoing,whiletheirchildisinfostercare.These

documentsarenotlegallybindingorenforceable,buttheyareoftenreliedoninevidencein

latercareproceedingstoshowthatparentsweregiventheopportunitytomakechanges

andwhetherornottheyhavebeenableorwillingtodoso.

Anydocumentwhichsetsoutexpectationsaboutpeople’sbehaviourneedstobeasclearas

possible,otherwiseitcancauseproblemslaterifparentsandprofessionalsdisagreeabout

whattheruleswereandwhy.

Ifparentsareaskedtosignanydocumentbythelocalauthority,theymayhaveanumberof

questionsorconcerns.Askingthesequestionsorbeingreluctanttosignshouldnotinitself

makeprofessionalsconsiderthattheparentiseitherhostileorunreasonable.Thefollowing

issuesmayberelevantforparents:

• Ifyoudon’twanttosign,youdon’thaveto.

• Don’tsignunlessyouunderstandeverysinglebit,andyou’vebeentoldclearlywhat

willhappenifyoudon’tsticktoit.

• Ifyouhavealawyer,youshouldaskforlegaladviceBEFOREyousignit.Ifyoudon’t

havealawyerbutyouwantone,youcouldsaythatyouwantthelocalauthorityto

holda'pre-proceedings'meeting,sothatyoucanhavefreelegaladviceaboutthe

agreement.

NB:Unlesstherearecareproceedings(acourtcasebegunbysocialservices)only

parentswhoarereceivingstatebenefitsorhaveaverylowincomeANDwhocan

showtheyarethevictimofdomesticabuseORwhocanshowtheyaretakingsteps

toprotectachildfromabusewillqualifyforfreelegaladvice,andsolicitorscanbe

PART5:

SECTION20ACCOMMODATIONAND‘SCHEDULESOFEXPECTATIONS’


20

hardtofindlocally.Atthepointwherethelocalauthorityissueaformallettersaying

thattheyareconsideringcareproceedingsandarecallinga‘pre-proceedings’or

‘PublicLawOutline’(PLO)meetingtoseeifcareproceedingscanbeavoided,all

parentsqualifyforfreeadviceandrepresentationatmeetingsregardlessoffinances.

Ifyougetaletterlikethisyoushouldtakeittoalocallegalaidlawyer(youcanfind

onebysearchingwww.gov.uk).

• Ifyouthinkthatsomethingisn’tfair,sayso.

• Ifyou’rewillingtodowhatisbeingasked,butyouwanthelp,askforthathelptobe

identifiedandputintheagreement.

• Nevereversignascheduleofexpectationsifyoudon’tintendtosticktoit–your

positionismadeworsebysigningitandnotdoingitthanbynotsigningitinthefirst

place.

• S20doesn’tallowalocalauthoritytorefusetogiveaparentinformationabout

wherethechildisliving.


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Therecanbeseriousconsequencesflowingfroms.20accommodation,andparentsneedto

beawareofthese.Inparticular,parentswillneedtobearinmindthatifalocalauthorityis

providingaccommodationforachild,s.22oftheAdoption&ChildrenAct2002saysthatthe

localauthorityMUSTapplyforaplacementorderifcertaincircumstancesaremet.A

‘placementorder’istheorderwhichallowsthelocalauthoritytolookforadoptiveparents

forachildandplacethechildwiththem.

Therelevantcircumstancesare

• Thechildisbeingaccommodatedbythelocalauthority,and

• Thechildhassufferedorisatriskofsufferingsignificantharmbecauseofthe

parentscare/lackofcare(section31oftheChildrenAct),and

• thelocalauthorityaresatisfiedthechildoughttobeplacedforadoption.

Forfurtherdiscussionofthisissuesee:

LBvLondonBoroughofMerton[2013]EWCACiv476.

Afurtherseriouspotentialconsequenceofachildbecominga‘lookedafterchild’through

beingaccommodatedunders.20isthatthereisa(relatively)newdutyuponlocal

authoritiesinEnglandto‘consider’a‘fosteringforadoptionplacement’.Thismeansthatif

thelocalauthorityisconsideringadoptionforthechild,itmustalsoconsiderplacingthe

childwithfostercarerswhoarealsoapprovedaspotentialadopters.(s.22C(9A)ChildrenAct

1989).ThisdoesnotapplyinWales.

PART6:

OTHERISSUES

SECTION22OFTHEADOPTION&CHILDRENACT2002

FOSTERINGFORADOPTIONPLACEMENTS


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Ifalocalauthoritythinkstheyneedtomakeplansforadoptionorplaceachildinfostering

foradoptionagainstthewishesoftheirparents,theyshouldapplyforacareorder.Parents

whoarenotinagreementwithadoptionshouldseekimmediatelegaladviceincluding

aboutwhetherornottheyshouldconsenttos.20accommodation.

UndertheReviewofChildren’sCasesRegulations,thelocalauthoritymustappointan

IndependentReviewingOfficer(IRO)to:

• participateinthereviewsofthechildinquestion’scareplan.

• monitortheperformanceofthelocalauthority’sfunctionsinrespectofthechild’s

case

• referthecasetoCAFCASS,iftheIROthinksitisappropriate.(CAFCASSisthe

Children&FamiliesCourtAdvisoryandSupportService).

Everychild’scareplanmustbereviewedwithin4weeksofthechildbeingprovidedwith

accommodationandasecondreviewmustfollowafterthatwithin3months.Atthesecond

review,thechild’sneedsforpermanencemustbeconsidered.Afterthissecondreview,the

reviewsmustbeatleastevery6months.Thelocalauthorityshouldbeconsideringwhether

ornotthechildcangohomeatthesereviewmeetings.

TheIROmust:

• makesurethatthechild’sviewsareunderstoodandtakenintoaccount.

• identifywhoisresponsibleformakingsuredecisionstakeninthereviewgetacted

upon.

• informseniormanagementatthelocalauthorityifreviewsarenotproperlycarried

out.

• assistthechildtoobtainlegaladvice,or

REVIEW&MONITORINGOFACHILD’SCAREPLAN


23

• findoutwhetheranappropriateadultisableandwillingtoprovidesuchassistance

orbringtheproceedingsonthechild’sbehalf.

Schedule2para21(1)oftheChildrenAct1989says“Wherealocalauthorityarelooking

afterachild…theyshallconsiderwhethertheyshouldrecovercontributionstowardsthe

child’smaintenancefromanypersonliabletocontribute('acontributor').”

However,chargescan’tbeimposedonanyparentwhoisreceivingstatebenefitsandthey

don’tapplytoanychildsubjecttoacareorder.

AsthecourtmadeclearinWilliamsandAnothervLondonBoroughofHackney[2015]EWHC

2629(QB),aparentbeingonbaildoesNOTmeanalocalauthoritynolongerhastoobtain

genuineandinformedconsenttos.20accommodation(Seeparagraph60ofthejudgment

forfurtherdiscussion).

MAKINGPARENTSPAYFORSECTION20ACCOMMODATION?

PARENTSONBAILWITHACONDITIONNOTTOCONTACTTHEIRCHILDREN?


24

Therecanberealbenefitsforchildrenandfamiliesofs.20whenusedproperly.Parentscan

askfortheirchildrentobelookedafterbythelocalauthorityunders.20whiletheysortout

atemporarydifficultysuchasashortprisonsentence,leavingaviolentpartner,orduring

temporaryphysicalormentalillness.‘Shortbreaks’(respitecare)forfamilieswithdisabled

childrencanbeagreedunders.20(4).Parentscanworkinclosepartnershipwiththelocal

authorityretainingtheirlegalrightstoagreetheplansmade,andendthearrangementif

necessary.Theymaybeabletoavoidbeingtakentocourt.

Childrenwhoareaccommodatedbyalocalauthorityeitherunders.20orunderacare

orderaredescribedintheChildrenAct1989asbeing‘lookedafter’bythelocalauthority.

This‘lookedafter’statusmeansthatplanningforchildreniskeptunderreviewandthatthe

childmaybeentitledtolong-termsupportafterreachingtheageof18(usuallywhenachild

hasbeenlookedafterforsometimeuptoandincludingtheirsixteenthbirthday).

Sometimesachildisaccommodatedunders.20withamemberoftheirextendedfamily

whoisafostercarerandcangetfinancialsupport.Alocalauthoritymightarrangefora

childtogoandlivewitharelativeforchildwelfareorchildprotectionreasons,withthe

parent’sconsent,butthensaythisisnots.20accommodationbuta‘privatearrangement’.

Unlessithasbeengenuinelyagreedbythecarer,adviceshouldbesoughtonthe

implicationsforsupportfortherelativeandcareplanning,includingthedutytoconsider

whetherthechildcangohome.

PART7:

POSSIBLEBENEFITSOFSECTION20


25

Thetextbelowwascorrectatthedateofpublicationofthisguidance.

Provisionofaccommodationforchildren:general.

(1)Everylocalauthorityshallprovideaccommodationforanychildinneedwithintheirareawhoappearstothemtorequireaccommodationasaresultof—

(a)therebeingnopersonwhohasparentalresponsibilityforhim;

(b)hisbeinglostorhavingbeenabandoned;or

(c)thepersonwhohasbeencaringforhimbeingprevented(whetherornotpermanently,andforwhateverreason)fromprovidinghimwithsuitableaccommodationorcare.

(2)Wherealocalauthorityprovideaccommodationundersubsection(1)forachildwhoisordinarilyresidentintheareaofanotherlocalauthority,thatotherlocalauthoritymaytakeovertheprovisionofaccommodationforthechildwithin—

(a)threemonthsofbeingnotifiedinwritingthatthechildisbeingprovidedwithaccommodation;or

(b)suchotherlongerperiodasmaybeprescribed.

(3)Everylocalauthorityshallprovideaccommodationforanychildinneedwithintheirareawhohasreachedtheageofsixteenandwhosewelfaretheauthorityconsiderislikelytobeseriouslyprejudicediftheydonotprovidehimwithaccommodation.

(4)Alocalauthoritymayprovideaccommodationforanychildwithintheirarea(eventhoughapersonwhohasparentalresponsibilityforhimisabletoprovidehimwithaccommodation)iftheyconsiderthattodosowouldsafeguardorpromotethechild’swelfare.

(5)Alocalauthoritymayprovideaccommodationforanypersonwhohasreachedtheageofsixteenbutisundertwenty-oneinanycommunityhomewhichtakeschildrenwhohavereachedtheageofsixteeniftheyconsiderthattodosowouldsafeguardorpromotehiswelfare.

(6)Beforeprovidingaccommodationunderthissection,alocalauthorityshall,sofarasisreasonablypracticableandconsistentwiththechild’swelfare—

(a)ascertainthechild’swishesandfeelingsregardingtheprovisionofaccommodation;and

ANNEX1:

TEXTOFSECTION20CHILDRENACT1989


26

(b)givedueconsideration(havingregardtohisageandunderstanding)tosuchwishesandfeelingsofthechildastheyhavebeenabletoascertain.

(7)Alocalauthoritymaynotprovideaccommodationunderthissectionforanychildifanypersonwho—

(a)hasparentalresponsibilityforhim;and

(b)iswillingandableto—

(i)provideaccommodationforhim;or

(ii)arrangeforaccommodationtobeprovidedforhim

objects.

(8)Anypersonwhohasparentalresponsibilityforachildmayatanytimeremovethechildfromaccommodationprovidedbyoronbehalfofthelocalauthorityunderthissection.

(9)Subsections(7)and(8)donotapplywhileanyperson—

(a)whoisnamedinachildarrangementsorderasapersonwithwhomthechildistolive;.

(aa)whoisaspecialguardianofthechild;or

(b)whohascareofthechildbyvirtueofanordermadeintheexerciseoftheHighCourt’sinherentjurisdictionwithrespecttochildren,

agreestothechildbeinglookedafterinaccommodationprovidedbyoronbehalfofthelocalauthority.

(10)Wherethereismorethanonesuchpersonasismentionedinsubsection(9),allofthemmustagree.

(11)Subsections(7)and(8)donotapplywhereachildwhohasreachedtheageofsixteenagreestobeingprovidedwithaccommodationunderthissection.


27

Anexampleofa‘modelwrittenagreement’fromBrighton&HoveCityCouncil.Ourthanks

toBrighton&Hove,forlettingusreproducethis.

Section20AgreementIthasbeenexplainedtome/usthatasection20agreementinvolvesme/usagreeingthatourchild/renbeingplacedinfostercareandstayinginfostercare.IthasbeenexplainedthatI/wehavethefollowingrights:-

(a) Tosaynotothisproposal(b) TochangeourmindatalaterdateandbringtheagreementtoanendATANY

TIME(c) Toobtainlegaladviceaboutthisagreement(d) Fortheagreementtobekeptunderreviewandspecificallytobeconsideredby

anIndependentReviewingOfficerateachLookedAfterChildReview

IhavereadthedocumentandIagreetoitstermsI/Weagreetomy/ourson/daughterbeingaccommodatedbyBrightonandHoveCityCouncilSignature Name Date

ANNEX2:

MODELAGREEMENT


28

Thesocialworkershouldsignbelowtoconfirmthefollowing:-

1. Thattheyaresatisfiedthattheparentsigningthisdocumenthasthecapacitytodoso.

2. Thathavingthatcapacity,theconsentisinformedconsent,considering(a)Doestheparentfullyunderstandtheconsequencesofgivingsuchaconsent?(b)Doestheparentfullyappreciatetherangeofchoiceavailableandtheconsequencesofrefusalaswellasgivingconsent?(c)Istheparentinpossessionofallthefactsandissuesmaterialtothegivingofconsent?

3. Evenwheretheparentisconsenting,thesocialworkermustconsiderwhetheritisnecessaryandproportionateforthechildtobeinfostercareandshouldhaveconsideredparticularly:(a)Whatisthecurrentphysicalandpsychologicalstateoftheparent?(b)Iftheyhaveasolicitor,havetheybeenencouragedtoseeklegaladviceand/oradvicefromfamilyorfriends?(c)Isitnecessaryforthesafetyofthechildforhertoberemovedatthistime?(d)Woulditbefairerinthiscaseforthismattertobethesubjectofacourtorderratherthananagreement?Andthatconsideringallofthesematters,theyconsiderthatthevoluntaryaccommodationofthechildisnecessary[Theiranalysisofthesemattersshouldberecordedonthechild’sfile]

4. IftheparentisnotfluentinEnglish,thiswrittendocumentshouldbetranslatedintotheparent'sownlanguageandtheparentshouldsigntheforeignlanguagetext,adding,intheparent'slanguage,wordstotheeffectthat'IhavereadthisdocumentandIagreetoitsterms.'

SignedDated

Documents

Section 20 of the Children Act 1989 - 08 A guidance note ... · PDF fileSection 20 of the Children Act 1989 - A guidance note for parents & professionals 2 CONTENTS GENERAL EXPLANATION