Legislation
Children Act 1989
Policy Background
The overall effect of the Act
How to use this guide
Overarching principles
Parental responsibility
Guardians
Section 8 orders
Contact activity directions and conditions and contact enforcement orders
Special guardianship
Orders for financial relief against parents
Local authority children’s services
Looked-after children and local authority duties to accommodate
Children's homes
Fostering
Leaving care
Day care for children
Care and supervision orders
Protection of children
This is a section-by-section guide to the Act. For some areas dealt with by the Act, the Act itself tells only part of the story. This is because much of the detail is set out in regulations and guidance. Links to the regulations and guidance are found at the end of the note to each section, as are links to other pieces of legislation that impinge on the operation of the section in question.
Overarching principles
For the overarching principles that govern the operation of various provisions of the Children Act 1989, see the note to section 1.
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Parental responsibility
For the meaning of “parental responsibility”, how it is acquired and how it is lost, see the notes to sections 2 to 4A.
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Guardians
For the rules concerning the appointment of guardians for children, see the notes to sections 5 and 6.
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Section 8 orders
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Contact activity directions and conditions and contact enforcement orders
For details of the range of new tools designed to enhance the effectiveness of contact orders, see the notes to sections 11A to 11P and the note to Schedule A1.

