Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Child definition

What does Child mean? In legal practice, child describes a minor—someone who has not reached 18—used across family law, child protection, education, immigration and youth justice to determine rights, duties and court or tribunal jurisdiction. The term is generally defined in legislation as under 18: for example, the Children Act 1989 (England and Wales), the Children (Scotland) Act 1995, the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995, and, in Ireland, the Child Care Act 1991. In Ireland, the 1991 Act excludes a person who is or has been married; as under‑18 marriage is now prohibited, this exclusion has limited practical effect. Specific regimes may use different age...

Kinship and Connected Person Foster Placements for Looked After Children in England: Legal Framework, Assessment, Temporary Approval, Review and Common Pitfalls

Published by a LexisNexis Local Government expert

Practice notes

PrACTice Note

This Practice Note sets out a high-level summary of the principal legislation and processes for placing looked after Children with a connected person acting as a foster carer. It explains: who qualifies as a connected person; the steps for arranging a placement with a connected person; the assessment route for approving a connected person as a foster carer, including interim approval; the approach to reviewing any approval; and frequent mistakes when carrying out assessments. Please note, the material here reflects the current position in England. In Wales, this field is governed by the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 and associated statutory instruments. For more detail on children’s social care in Wales, consult the following Practice Notes: Local authority powers and duties to provide accommodation for children in Wales, Local authority duties to looked after children in Wales and Local authority duties to children in Wales—child protection...

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Joy Hopkinson , CBE/OBE/KC

London Borough of Southwark

I am an experienced Barrister of over 24 years call. In my current role as the Head of the Safeguarding and Community Services Legal Team for the LB of Southwark, I am responsible for a team of child care and adult social care lawyers, advocates and legal assistants. I provide specialist legal advice to children social care clients and officers and members within the council on children law and education law matters. During my career I have practised at the independent Bar in chambers, central government at Treasury Solicitors and was appointed to an Inquiry. Practice areas included immigration and judicial review, crime and family law and regulatory law in respect of fitness to practise. I enjoy delivering training to legal and social work professionals within the area of child protection and safeguarding with an emphasis on interactive learning and development workshops. I...

Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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