Looked After Child

A guardian is an adult who is responsible for the care of a child. The local authority can be a child’s guardian.

the Child defines a child as anyone under the age of 18. In England and Wales a child can mean a person under the age of 14 and a young person is a person aged between 14-18.

A legal definition of a child who is unlikely to achieve or maintain, a reasonable standard of health or development without help from the local authority.

The local authority has duties to towards children in their area. What duties they owe will depend on the child's needs.

Fostering is where people take children into their own home to look after them, if the children have been abandoned.

The local authority is a part of government. The court will usually decide which local authority is responsible for a person, often that is decided because of where that person lives.

Local Authority Accommodation is accommodation that the local authority provides for a person to live in. This can be a foster home, a children’s home or even sometimes with a family member that the local authority approves of.

Local authority duties are the responsibilities and duties that local authorities have towards a person, for example a person in care. If they do not meet their responsibilities a person can complain or challenge them in court.