Remand to Local Authority Accommodation (RLAA)

A remand to local authority accommodation (RLAA) means the local authority is responsible for providing the most suitable accommodation for a child.1 This can be living at home, with a relative, in foster care or in a children’s home.

All children not granted bail are remanded to local authority accommodation (RLAA)2 unless the conditions are met to justify remanding the child to youth detention accommodation (custody).3 

When a child is remanded to local authority accommodation (RLAA) a court can impose conditions, for example, to ensure that the child does not interfere with witnesses, or to ensure the child makes themselves available for the preparation of court reports.4 A court can only impose tagging or other forms of electronic monitoring if the child is 12 or over, charged with a grave crime or is charged with an imprisonable offence(s) and has a recent history of committing imprisonable offences on bail and other conditions are met.5 If a child has been on RLAA with conditions equivalent to a qualifying curfew (curfew with electronic monitoring for 9 hours or more), then this time should be deducted by the sentencer (R v A [2019] EWCA Crim 106).