Section 36 – Responsible authority: general
86.Subsection (1)(a) provides that for the purposes of this Part the responsible authority for a pre-school child is the health board for the area where the child lives. Subsection (1)(b) provides that the responsible authority for a child who is not a pre-school child is the local authority for the area where the child lives. Subsection (2) provides that subsection (1) is subject to special cases outlined in section 37.
87.Subsection (3) defines “pre-school child” as a child who has not started primary school and, if the child is of school age, has not started school because the education authority has consented to this being delayed.
88.Subsection (4) provides that for the purposes of this section, the reference to school age is to be construed by reference to the school commencement dates fixed by the relevant education authority; the references to attendance at primary school do not include attendance at nursery classes based in a primary school; and the references to relevant education authority are to the education authority for the area where the child resides.