Section 76: Change of habitual residence
370.This section provides for notifications where an adult moves from one local authority area to another, where the adult’s guardian is the chief social work officer of their local authority.
371.Subsection (1) requires the chief social work officer of the first local authority to notify their counterpart in the second local authority. On receiving notification, the latter becomes the guardian and is then obliged to notify the relevant parties within 7 days. This provides that there is little or no interim period when the guardian’s powers are not being exercised.
372.Subsection (2) provides that the Public Guardian will update the public registers and notify the adult within 7 days.
373.Subsection (3) provides for notifying the adult of the officer of the second local authority who will be responsible for acting as guardian on behalf of the chief social work officer, within 7 working days of the local authority receiving notification of the adult's move.
374.Subsection (4) allows notification to the adult to be withheld where, in hearing the original application for guardianship, the sheriff decided that intimation would pose a serious risk to health.