Child Care Act 1980

9 Duty of parents to maintain contact with local authorities having their children in care

(1) The parent of a child who is in the care of a local authority under section 2 of this Act shall secure that the appropriate local authority are informed of the parent's address for the time being.

(2) Where under section 2(4) of this Act a local authority take over the care of a child from another local authority, that other authority shall where possible inform the parent of the child that the care of the child has been so taken over.

(3) For the purposes of subsection (1) above, the appropriate local authority shall be the authority in whose care the child is for the time being; but where under section 2(4) of this Act a local authority have taken over the care of a child from another authority, then unless and until a parent is informed that the care of a child has been so taken over the appropriate local authority shall in relation to that parent continue to be the authority from whom the care of the child was taken over.

(4) Any parent who knowingly fails to comply with subsection (1) above shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £10.

(5) It shall be a defence in any proceeding under subsection (4) above to prove that the defendant was residing at the same address as the other parent of the child and had reasonable cause to believe that the other parent had informed the appropriate authority that both parents were residing at that address.