Having considered the content of parental responsibility in chapter 12, this chapter turns to its allocation. The chapter starts by explaining the allocation of parental responsibility automatically at the child’s birth and through registration on the birth certificate. It then turns to consider applications by unmarried, unregistered fathers for parental responsibility orders. The acquisition of parental responsibility by non-parents, including step-parents and local authorities is then outlined. Finally, it discusses the question of shared parental responsibility and how that responsibility may be exercised in the case of disagreement.
Chapter
13. Who has Parental Responsibility?
N V Lowe, G Douglas, E Hitchings, and R Taylor
Chapter
12. Child Protection: Care, Supervision, and Adoption
This chapter looks at what happens in issues of child protection when compulsory intervention in the form of care or supervision applications is needed. It considers the legal tests, the processes, and the practicalities involved in proceedings and decisions about what should happen after intervention. For intervention to take place, the local authority must satisfy the court that the child in question is suffering or likely to suffer significant harm attributable to their care or to them being beyond parental control. As far as the court is concerned, the best interests of the child are paramount. The court has to consider all realistic options for the child's future.
Chapter
10. Public Law Protection
Penelope Russell
Public law protection of children challenges one of the fundamental principles of England and Wales that children are best brought up by their parents. Unlimited state intervention in the family is not permitted and the courts have to strike a balance between maintaining stability for children within their family, and protecting them from harm. This chapter considers the statutory duties of the local authority towards children as well as emergency action to protect a child. It examines what has to be proven to obtain a care order and the evidential difficulties connected with this; in particular, the difficulties posed for the courts where harm is caused to a child by an unknown perpetrator. The chapter ends by exploring the options available to the court at the welfare assessment once the threshold criteria have been met.
Chapter
18. Care and Supervision
N V Lowe, G Douglas, E Hitchings, and R Taylor
The Children Act 1989 places considerable importance on local authorities working in partnership with families and the avoidance wherever possible of court proceedings. However, the Act also makes provision, in the form of care and supervision orders, for compulsory measures to be taken to safeguard and promote children’s welfare. This chapter focuses on care and supervision orders. It covers the initiation of proceedings; the threshold criteria, which refers to conditions set out by s 31(2) that must be satisfied before a care or supervision order may be made; the ‘welfare stage’, where the court must, pursuant to s 1(1), regard the welfare of the child as the paramount consideration; tackling delay in care proceedings; court orders; appeals; and discharge of care orders and discharge and variation of supervision orders. The chapter ends by discussing the position of children in local authority care, focusing on the critical issue of contact with children in care.
Chapter
20. The High Court’s Inherent Powers in Respect of Children
N V Lowe, G Douglas, E Hitchings, and R Taylor
This chapter discusses the High Court’s inherent powers in respect of children. The development of these powers, principally under the aegis of the wardship jurisdiction, was highly influential in the modern development of law and practice concerning children, and the Children Act 1989 incorporates many of its features. In detail, the chapter first considers the High Court’s exercise of inherent jurisdiction; the court’s powers; local authority use of the jurisdiction; and private law use of the jurisdiction. It then does the same for wardship.
Chapter
12. Child Protection: Care, Supervision, and Adoption
This chapter looks at what happens when compulsory intervention to protect children, in the form of care or supervision applications, is needed. It considers the legal tests, the processes, and the practicalities involved in proceedings. It analyses the legal test for making the child subject to a care or supervision order—that the child in question is suffering or likely to suffer significant harm attributable to their care or to them being beyond parental control—before turning to what happens when this test is met. As far as the court is concerned, the best interests of the child are paramount. The court has to consider all realistic options for the child’s future, including a return to the birth family, foster care, special guardianship, supervision, and adoption. It looks in depth at the law surrounding adoption and the human rights implications of changing a child’s family.
Chapter
17. Public Law Proceedings Concerning Children
N V Lowe, G Douglas, E Hitchings, and R Taylor
This is the first of two chapters discussing child protection issues—what is often called the public law concerning children. Chapter 17 begins with a consideration of the basic dilemmas of child protection followed by an overview of the development of local authority powers. It explains the current basic legal framework and provisions for local authorities to provide services for families; specific duties and powers; accommodating children in need; and secure accommodation. The chapter ends by focusing on the local authorities’ investigative powers and duties. It covers the general duty of investigation under s 47 of the Children Act 1989; co-operating with other agencies to discharge investigative duties; emergency protection orders; child assessment orders; and police protection.
