PART 7SAFEGUARDING

Children at risk

I1130Duty to report children at risk

1

If a relevant partner of a local authority has reasonable cause to suspect that a child is a child at risk and appears to be within the authority's area, it must inform the local authority of that fact.

2

If the child that the relevant partner has reasonable cause to suspect is a child at risk appears to be within the area of a local authority other than one of which it is a relevant partner, it must inform that other local authority.

3

If a local authority has reasonable cause to suspect that a child within its area at any time is a child at risk and is living or proposing to live within the area of another local authority (or a local authority in England), it must inform that other authority.

4

In this section, “a child at risk” is a child who—

a

is experiencing or is at risk of abuse, neglect or other kinds of harm, and

b

has needs for care and support (whether or not the authority is meeting any of those needs).

5

For the purposes of this section a relevant partner of a local authority is—

a

a person who is a relevant partner of the local authority for the purposes of section 162;

b

a youth offending team for an area any part of which falls within the area of the authority.

6

For provision about a local authority's duty to investigate children at risk, see section 47 of the Children Act 1989.