The Foster Placement (Children) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012

Made: 31st May 2012

Coming into operation: 1st July 2012

The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, in exercise of the powers conferred by Article 27(2)(a), 28(1), 75(2), 77(3), and 183 of the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995[^f00001], and of all other powers enabling it in that behalf, hereby makes the following Regulations;

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1

• (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Foster Placement (Children) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012 and will come into operation on 1st July 2012.

• (2) In these regulations─

• “the Principal Regulations” means the Foster Placement (Children) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996 [^f00002].

Amendment of regulation 11 of the Principal Regulations

2

In regulation 11(3) (emergency and immediate placements by authorities), for “6 weeks” substitute “12 weeks”.

Signed

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety on 31st May 2012

Sean Holland — A senior officer of the — Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

EXPLANATORY NOTE

These Regulations provide for amendments to the Foster Placement (Children) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996.

Regulation 2(1) amends regulation 11(3) of the Foster Placement (Children) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996 by extending the period to complete an initial assessment of a person with whom a child is placed in an emergency situation. The amendment extends the period from 6 weeks to 12 weeks. The purpose of the change is to allow a more realistic timescale for the completion of the initial assessment of a potential carer, which includes an evaluation of the proposed accommodation, access to medical reports, obtaining references and undertaking AccessNI enhanced disclosure checks.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: 1995 No. 755 (N.1.2)

[^f00002]: S.R. 1996 No.467