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Transparency Project publishes guidance on use of 'voluntary' accommodation of children
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The use (and misuse) of section 20 accommodation has been the subject of recent significant judicial criticism and media comment
The Transparency Project has today (24 February 2016) published guidance relating to voluntary accommodation of children by local authorities.
Under section 20 of the Children Act 1989, local authorities may provide accommodation for children who do not have somewhere suitable to live, where their parents consent. Section 20 is not just about housing, but involves taking a child into the care system by agreement rather than by court order. There is thus no judicial scrutiny of what is happening to the child and no court timetable by when final decisions must be made about the child.
The use (and misuse) of section 20 accommodation has been the subject of recent significant judicial criticism and media comment. It is clear that problems arise when children 'drift' in the care system under section 20 without proper plans being made for their future, or when parents feel they were under pressure to agree to section 20 accommodation without fully understanding the consequences.
In light of this recent interest in and concern about the use of section 20,
The Transparency Project has published guidance about its use. The guidance relates to children under the age of 16.
Sarah Phillimore, trustee of the Project and lead author of the guidance, said:
'The issue of "parental responsibility" and who can make decisions for children under section 20 also has the potential to cause serious difficulties as it seems many parents (and some social workers) are not always clear about the impact of section 20 on their ability to exercise parental responsibility for the children'.
The Transparency Project hopes that this guidance will be useful for parents, carers and professionals who are unsure about what section 20 accommodation is, when it should be used and what safeguards should be in place to make sure that parents and carers are fully informed.
The section 20 guidance is available to view and download here.The Transparency Project welcomes any feedback on the guidance, as well as suggestions for future guidance documents that might be helpful. Please email info@transparencyproject.org.uk or tweet @seethrujustice.
See further Sarah Phillimore, 'Dealing with adopted children: s 20' in February Family Law
at [2016] Fam Law 216.
