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Register

11.—(1) A local authority, must, in respect of every child placed in their area (by them and any other responsible authority) and every child placed by them outside their area enter into a register to be kept for the purpose—

(a)the particulars specified in paragraph (3); and

(b)such of the particulars specified in paragraph (4) as may be appropriate.

(2) A voluntary organisation and a person carrying on a private children’s home must, in respect of every child placed by them, enter into a register to be kept for the purpose—

(a)the particulars specified in paragraph (3); and

(b)such of the particulars specified in paragraph (4) as may be appropriate.

(3) The particulars to be entered into the register in accordance with paragraphs (1) or (2) are—

(a)the name, sex, date of birth, national health service number and, where applicable, the social services identification number of the child;

(b)the name and address of the person or children’s home with whom the child is placed and, if different, of those of the child’s parents or other person not being a parent of his or hers who has parental responsibility for him or her;

(c)where a child is placed in a children’s home, the name of the child’s link worker;

(d)in the case of a child placed on behalf of a local authority by a voluntary organisation or in a private children’s home, the name of the authority;

(e)whether the child’s name is entered on any local authority register indicating that the child is at risk of being abused;

(f)whether the child’s name is entered on the register maintained under paragraph 2 of Schedule 2 to the Act (register of disabled children);

(g)the date on which each placement of the child began and terminated and the reason for each termination;

(h)in a care case the name of the local authority in whose care the child is;

(i)the legal provisions under which the child is being looked after or cared for.

(4) The additional particulars to be entered in the register, where appropriate in accordance with paragraphs (1) or (2) are—

(a)in the case of a child placed by a local authority in respect of whom arrangements have been made for the area authority to carry out functions pursuant to regulation 13 a note that the arrangements were made and the name of the other local authority with whom they were made; and

(b)in the case of a child who has been placed, in respect of whom arrangements have been made for supervision of the placement to be carried out on behalf of a responsible authority (otherwise than pursuant to regulation 13), a note that the arrangements were made and the name of person with whom the arrangements were made.

(5) Entries in registers kept in accordance with this regulation must be retained until the child to whom the entry relates attains the age of 25 or, if the child has died before attaining 25, the period of 5 years beginning with the date of his or her death.

(6) The requirements of paragraph (1) may be complied with either by retaining the original register, or a copy of it, or by keeping all of the information from such a register in some other accessible form (such as by means of a computer).

(7) A responsible authority must secure the safe keeping of registers kept in accordance with this regulation and must take all necessary steps to ensure that information contained in them is treated as confidential, subject only to—

(a)any provision of or made under or by virtue of a statute under which access to such registers or information may be obtained or given;

(b)any court order under which access to such registers or information may be obtained or given.