Children’s Homes Regulations 1991

Notification of significant events

19.—(1) In respect of the events at any children’s home mentioned in paragraph (2), the responsible authority shall forthwith notify—

(a) insofar as it is reasonably practicable—

(i) the parents of any child concerned,

(ii) any person who is not a parent of any child concerned but who has parental responsibility for such a child, and

(iii) any other person who has undertaken to meet any fees or expenses incurred in accommodating any child concerned at the home;

(b) except in the case of the event mentioned in paragraph (2)(b), the District Health Authority within whose district the children’s home is situated;

(c) where the responsible authority is not a local authority—

(i) the local authority within whose area the home is situated, and

(ii) the registration authority;

(d) in respect of the events mentioned in paragraph (2)(a), (b) and (c), the Secretary of State, except, in relation to paragraph (2)(a) where the child is being looked after by a local authority(1);

(e) in respect of the event mentioned in paragraph (2)(c), a constable.

(2) The events referred to in paragraph (1) are—

(a) the death of a child accommodated at the home;

(b) any conduct on the part of a member of staff of the home which is or may be such, in the opinion of the responsible authority, that he is not, or as the case may be would not be, a suitable person to be employed in work involving children;

(c) the suffering of serious harm by a child accommodated at the home;

(d) any serious accident involving a child accommodated at the home;

(e) any serious illness of a child accommodated at the home; and

(f) he outbreak in the home of any notifiable infectious disease to which the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984(2) applies or disease to which provisions of that Act are applied by Regulation made under that Act(3) .

(3) Any notification given with respect to the death of a child shall give such detail as to the circumstances as is known to the responsible authority.

(1)

Equivalent provision is made in these circumstances by paragraph 20(1) of Schedule 2 to the Act.

(2)

1984 c. 22.

(3)

The relevant regulations are the Public Health (Infectious Disease) Regulations 1988 (S.I. 1988/1546).