Child Protection Order

Legal Help

An emergency protection order is made when a person under the age of 18 is in immediate danger and may have to be taken away from home quickly.

This might be because someone has called the police as they are worried that a child is being hurt or could be because the child had told someone like a teacher that they were in danger, or they might already be in a safe place, like a hospital.

Children's Services or anyone like the police or a neighbour can go to a Magistrate and apply for an Emergency Protection Order.

Emergency protection orders are granted for:

Individual applicants, where the child will suffer significant harm if not removed
Local authorities, where enquiries are being made for other orders, and where these enquiries are being frustrated or unreasonably refused
Authorised persons, where there is reasonable cause to suspect, or likelihood of, significant harm

The emergency protection order lasts for 8 days and any person can apply to a court for an order.

Parental access is not precluded.

The emergency protection order replaces the place of safety order.

If you are concerned about the safety of a child please contact either the Child Protection Team or the Police on: