Adoption and Children Act (Northern Ireland) 2022

Care plans

134.—(1) After Article 50 of the Children Order (care orders and supervision orders) insert—

“Care orders: care plans

50A⁠⁠.— (1) Where an application is made on which a care order might be made with respect to a child, the appropriate authority must, within such time as the court may direct, prepare a plan (a care plan) for the future care of the child.

(2) While the application is pending, the authority must keep any care plan prepared by it under review and, if the authority is of the opinion some change is required, revise the plan, or make a new plan, accordingly.

(3) A care plan must give any prescribed information and do so in the prescribed manner.

(4) For the purposes of this Article, the appropriate authority, in relation to a child in respect of whom a care order might be made, is the authority proposed to be designated in the order.

(5) In this Article references to a care order do not include an interim care order.

(6) A plan prepared, or treated as prepared, under this Article is referred to in this Order as an “Article 50A plan”.”.

(2) If—

(a) before subsection (1) comes into operation, a care order has been made in respect of a child and a plan for the future care of the child has been prepared in connection with the making of the order by the authority designated in the order, and

(b) on the day on which that subsection comes into operation the order is in force, or would be in force but for section 26(1),

the plan is to have effect as if made under Article 50A of the Children Order.