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Can the local authority remove a child from my care?

Can the local authority remove a child from my care? This is a question we are often asked by parents whose children become of interest to Children’s Services.

There are three ways that a child can be removed:

  1. If there is an incident that involves the Police, and the Police have sufficient concerns around the safety of the child, they have the power to take a child into Police Protection for 72 hours. The child will be placed into foster care or with a family member approved by Children’s Services.
  2. A social worker could ask a parent to sign a Section 20 agreement. This effectively means that the parent is voluntarily placing their child in the care of the local authority. The child could be placed in foster care or with a family member approved by Children’s Services.
  3. The local authority could issue Care Proceeding and, if the Court makes an interim Care Order, it is likely that there will also be a direction that the child should be removed from the parent(s) care pending further assessment/investigation. Again, the child could be placed in foster care or with a family member approved by Children’s Services.

Section 20 Agreement

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