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Children’s deprivation of liberty: inherent jurisdiction, secure accommodation, and authorising unregistered or unregulated placements – practice and procedure (England and Wales)

Practice notes
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The use of the inherent jurisdiction of the High Court to authorise the deprivation of liberty of children and young people has been growing in recent years.

This trend covers looked-after children where the character of the care arrangements amounts to a deprivation of liberty, and scenarios in which a secure accommodation placement is required but no places are available, so deprivation of liberty must occur in a different placement. Article 5(1) of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) states that nobody shall be deprived of liberty except:

  • in specified categories (for example, ‘persons of unsound mind’), and
  • following a procedure prescribed by law

See Practice Note: The deprivation of liberty safeguards—Deprivation of liberty...

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Tim Spencer-Lane
Tim Spencer-Lane Social LinkedIn

Tim is a lawyer who specialises in mental capacity, mental health and social care law. At the Law Commission he led the reviews of the deprivation of liberty safeguards, health and social care professional regulation, and adult social care. He now works for the Government Legal Department (Department of Health and Social Care) where he advises on mental capacity and mental health law. Tim is the author of the /Care Act Manual/ (third edition 2019, Sweet and Maxwell) and co-author of /the Approved Mental Health Professional Practice Handbook/ (2020, Policy Press). He is also a General Editor of the Encyclopedia of Social Services and Child Care Law, a contributor to Cross on Local Government and legal editor of Community Care Inform. Tim also is a guest lecturer at Kingston University where he teaches on the best interests assessor, and adult...

Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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