Legislation
Legislation provides the framework for safeguarding and child protection in England. It makes clear the expectations and requirements around duties of care to children and creates accountability for these.
The main legislation in England is:
The Children and Families Act 2014
The Children and Families Act 2014 was introduced to give greater protection to vulnerable children, better support for children whose parents are separating, a new system to help children with special educational needs and disabilities, and help for parents to balance work and family life.
The Children and Families Act 2014 covers adoption and contact, family justice, children and young people with Special Educational Needs (SEN), child care and child welfare. The nine Parts of the Act are as follows:
1. Adoption and contact
2. Family justice
3. Children and young people in England with SEN or Disabilities
4. Childcare
5. Welfare of children
6. The Children’s Commissioner
7. Statutory rights to leave and pay
8. Time off work: ante-natal care
9. Right to request flexible working
The Children Act 1989
The Children Act 1989 is an Act to reform the law relating to children; to provide for local authority services for children in need and others; to amend the law with respect to children’s homes, community homes, voluntary homes and voluntary organisations; to make provision with respect to fostering, child minding and day care for young children and adoption; and for connected purposes.
The Children Act 2004
The Children Act 2004 is an Act to make provision for the establishment of a Children’s Commissioner; to make provision about services provided to and for children and young people by local authorities and other persons; to make provision in relation to Wales about advisory and support services relating to family proceedings; to make provision about private fostering, child minding and day care, adoption review panels, the defence of reasonable punishment, the making of grants as respects children and families, child safety orders, the Children’s Commissioner for Wales, the publication of material relating to children involved in certain legal proceedings and the disclosure by the Inland Revenue of information relating to children.
The Children and Social Work Act 2017
The Children and Social Work Act 2017 is intended to improve support for looked after children and care leavers, promote the welfare and safeguarding of children, and make provisions about the regulation of social workers.
The Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015
The Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 contains a duty on specified authorities to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism. This is also know as the Prevent duty.