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282 <h2>
282 Applications for Emergency Protection Orders
282 </h2>
284 </div>
287 <div id="scope_box">
288 <h3>
288 RELATED GUIDANCE
288 </h3>
289 <p>
289 <a
href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/306282/Statutory_g
uidance_on_court_orders_and_pre-proceedings.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
289 Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities on Court Orders and Pre-Proceedings (2014)
289 </a>
289 </p>
290 <h3>
290 AMENDMENT
290 </h3>
291 <p>
291 This chapter was reviewed and amended by Bexley in April 2017 to reflect local processes and
procedures.
291 </p>
292 </div>
293 <div id="sections">
295 <h3 id="sections_list">
295 Contents
295 </h3>
296 <ol>
297 <li>
297 <a href="#intro">
297 Introduction
297 </a>
297 </li>
298 <li>
298 <a href="#dec_apply">
298 Decision to Apply for an EPO
298 </a>
298 </li>
299 <li>
299 <a href="#prep_applic">
299 Preparation of the Application
299 </a>
299 </li>
300 <li>
300 <a href="#hearing">
300 Hearing of the Application
300 </a>
300 </li>
301 <li>
301 <a href="#aft_hearing">
301 After the Hearing
301 </a>
301 </li>
302 <li>
302 <a href="#powers_to_assist">
302 Powers to Assist in Discovery of Children Who May Be In Need Of Emergency Protection
302 </a>
302 </li>
303 <li>
303 <a href="#x_council">
303 X Council v B Guidance
303 </a>
303 </li>
304 </ol>
305 <h3 id="intro">
305 1. Introduction
305 </h3>
306 <p>
306 An Emergency Protection Order (EPO) enables a child to be removed from where s/he is, or to be
kept where s/he is, if this is necessary to provide immediate short-term protection.
306 </p>
307 <p>
307 Under Section 44 of the Children Act 1989, the local authority (or any person) can apply to the
family court for an Emergency Protection Order where:
307 </p>
308 <ul>
309 <li>
309 The court is satisfied that there is reasonable cause to believe that the child is likely to
suffer Significant Harm if s/he is:
310 <ul>
311 <li>
311 Not removed to accommodation provided by the applicant; or
311 </li>
312 <li>
312 Does not remain in the place in which the child is being accommodated; or
312 </li>
313 </ul>
314 </li>
315 <li>
315 Section 47 Enquiries are being frustrated by unreasonable refusal of access to the child, and
the local authority has reasonable cause to believe that access is needed as a matter of
urgency.
315 </li>
316 </ul>
317 <p>
317 The EPO will grant the local authority Parental Responsibility for the child which will enable the
child to be removed to other accommodation or to remain in a place where he/she is being
accommodated (e.g. a hospital or foster placement).
317 </p>
318 <p>
318 An EPO can be made for a maximum period of 8 days, with a possible extension of up to a further
seven days, to a maximum of 15 days. Only one extension can be granted if the court has reasonable
cause to believe that the child is likely to suffer Significant Harm if the order is not extended.
318 </p>
319 <p>
319 An application for an EPO is a very serious step, and the court must be satisfied that the EPO is
both necessary and proportionate and that there is no less radical form of order available.
319 </p>
320 <p>
320 The court may give specific directions with regard to contact (with parents/significant others)
and about medical or psychiatric examination or other assessment of the child. If there is a need
for further investigation of the child's health and development but s/he is not considered to be
in immediate danger, then the local authority should apply for a Child Assessment Order.
320 </p>
321 <p>
321 The court can attach an exclusion requirement to an EPO which can exclude the relevant person from
the home, and from a designated area around the home. A power of arrest can be attached to the
exclusion requirement.
321 </p>
322 <h3 id="dec_apply">
322 2. Decision to Apply for an EPO
322 </h3>
323 <p>
323 Planned emergency action will normally take place following a Strategy Discussion between the
local authority, police and other relevant agencies. Where it is necessary to act immediately, a
Strategy Discussion should take place as soon as possible afterwards.
324 </p>
325 When considering whether emergency action is necessary, consideration should also be given to the
needs of other children in the same household or in the household of an alleged perpetrator.
326 <p>
326 Before an application for an EPO can be made, consultation with Legal Services must take place to
establish whether there is sufficient evidence to establish that the Threshold Criteria for an
application are met.
326 </p>
327 <p>
327 The approval of the
327 <a href="files/sod_decision_making.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
327 Head of Service (Emergency Protection Orders)
327 </a>
327 is required before the application is made, including whether the application should be made ex
parte (i.e. without prior notice being given to the parents).
327 </p>
328 <p>
328 The social worker will seek the Head of Service's approval by outlining the reasons for the
application, the outcome of the legal Planning Meeting and the proposed plan, as set out in the
advice by the lawyer, for the child should an EPO be granted. Any available documentation, for
example the Child Protection Conference Report or a medical report, should also be provided to the
Head of Service.
328 </p>
329 <p>
329 Before giving the approval, the guidance given by Mr Justice Munby in X Council v B should be
discussed at the legal planning meeting and considered by the Head of Service. This is set out in
329 <a href="#x_council">
329 Section 7, X Council v B Guidance
329 </a>
329 .
329 </p>
330 <p>
330 After an EPO is made, the further approval of the Head of Service (Emergency Protection Orders)
must be sought before any decision is made to remove the child from the parents' care, where this
was not part of the plan presented to the Court.
330 </p>
331 <h3 id="prep_applic">
331 3. Preparation of the Application
331 </h3>
332 <p>
332 As soon as a decision has been made to apply for an EPO, the social worker should prepare a
written Statement of Evidence on the prescribed form to support the application for an EPO. Where
the Statement is hand written, it must be legible; a typed copy of the statement must be filed
with the Court as soon as practicable after the Court hearing, wherever possible.
332 </p>
333 <p>
333 The evidence must be provided from the best available source; usually this will be the social
worker with direct knowledge of the child. Where the application refers to medical opinion, the
application must be supported by a written medical report provided by the medical practitioner
with direct knowledge of the child.
333 </p>
334 <p>
334 Where a Child Protection Conference has been held, the minutes of the most recent conference
should be produced to the Court.
334 </p>
335 <p>
335 Where it is considered that the application for an EPO should be made without prior notice being
given to the parents and the
335 <a href="files/sod_decision_making.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
335 Head of Service (Emergency Protection Orders)
335 </a>
335 approves this course of action, the leave of the Court will be required and the social worker (if
out of hours) or his/her legal representative (during working hours) should contact a Legal
Adviser at the Family Court in order to apply for such leave. The court will only consider
applications without notice in high risk cases where the child's safety would be endangered if the
parents knew of the application, or for other reasons it is not possible to notify
them. Parents/those with Parental Responsibility/any person with whom the child was living
immediately before the making of the EPO, may apply to the court for the discharge of an EPO made
ex parte.
335 </p>
336 <h3 id="hearing">
336 4. Hearing of the Application
336 </h3>
337 <p>
337 The legal representative (or the social worker if this is out of hours) who attends Court in
support of an application for an EPO must ensure that the guidance given by Mr Justice Munby in X
Council v B (set out in
337 <a href="#x_council">
337 Section 7, X Council v B Guidance
337 </a>
337 ) is brought to the attention of the Court.
337 </p>
338 <p>
338 Where the parents have not been given notice of the hearing and/or do not attend the hearing, the
local authority legal representative or, in the absence of a legal representative, the social
worker who attends Court must also ensure that a full note is made of the hearing so that a copy
can be provided to the parents. This should be handed to the parents as soon as possible after the
hearing, together with a copy of the EPO, the application, any written evidence submitted to the
Court and the reasons.
338 </p>
339 <h3 id="aft_hearing">
339 5. After the Hearing
339 </h3>
340 <p>
340 As soon as practicable after the hearing the social worker should convene a Legal Planning Meeting
and seek the approval of the
340 <a href="files/sod_decision_making.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
340 Head of Service (Care Proceedings)
340 </a>
340 to initiate Care Proceedings where necessary.
340 </p>
341 <p>
341 For further information see
341 <a href="p_care_supervis_plo.html">
341 Care and Supervision Proceedings and the Public Law Outline Procedure
341 </a>
341 .
341 </p>
342 <h3 id="powers_to_assist">
342 6. Powers to Assist in Discovery of Children who May be in Need of Emergency Protection
342 </h3>
343 <p>
343 Where those holding the child do not readily agree to hand the child over, the EPO provides a
formal direction to any person who is in a position to do so to comply with any request to produce
the child.
343 </p>
344 <p>
344 The court can also attach a power to enter and search specified premises for a child who is the
subject of an EPO. If the child's whereabouts are unknown, but that information is held by another
person, the court may order that person to disclose the information when requested to do so.
344 </p>
345 <p>
345 If the local authority is, or is likely to be, obstructed from exercising their powers under the
EPO, the court can issue a warrant authorising any police officer to assist in entering and
searching the premises, using reasonable force if necessary. If, upon gaining entry, it is found
that the child is not harmed and is not likely to suffer Significant Harm, the child should not be
removed.
345 </p>
346 <p>
346 If the applicant believes there may be another child on the premises which is to be searched, who
ought also to be the subject of an EPO, an order should be sought authorising a search for that
child as well. Where the name of the second child is not known, s/he should be described as
clearly as possible in the order. If a second child is found on the premises and the applicant is
satisfied that there are sufficient grounds for making an EPO, the order authorising the search
for the second child has effect as if it were an EPO. If this happens, then the result of the
search, and what action was taken and/or is planned as a result, must be reported to the court.
346 </p>
347 <h3 id="x_council">
347 7. X Council v B Guidance
347 </h3>
348 <p>
348 The 14 key points made by Mr Justice Munby in the above case are:
348 </p>
349 <ol style="list-style-type:lower-roman">
350 <li>
350 An EPO, summarily removing a child from his parents, is a draconian and extremely harsh measure
requiring exceptional justification and extraordinary compelling reasons. Such an Order should
not be made unless the Family Court is satisfied that it is both necessary and proportionate and
that no other less radical form of order will achieve the essential end of promoting the welfare
of the child. Separation is only to be contemplated if immediate separation is essential to
secure the child's safety: imminent danger must be actually established;
350 </li>
351 <li>
351 Both the local authority which seeks and the court which makes an EPO assume a heavy burden of
responsibility. It is important that both the local authority and the court approach every
application for an EPO with an anxious awareness of the extreme gravity the relief being sought
and a scrupulous regard for the European Convention rights of both the child and the parents;
351 </li>
352 <li>
352 Any order must provide for the least interventionist solution consistent with the preservation
of the child's immediate safety;
352 </li>
353 <li>
353 If the real purpose of the local authority's application is to enable it to have the child
assessed, then consideration should be given to whether that objective cannot equally
effectively, and more proportionately, be achieved by an application for, or by the making of, a
Child Assessment Order under section 43 of the Children Act 1989;
353 </li>
354 <li>
354 No EPO should be made for any longer than is absolutely necessary to protect the child. Where
the EPO is made on an ex parte (without notice) application, very careful consideration should
be given to the need to ensure that the initial order is made for the shortest possible period
commensurate with the preservation of the child's immediate safety;
354 </li>
355 <li>
355 The evidence in support of the application for an EPO must be full, detailed and compelling.
Unparticularised generalities will not suffice. The sources of hearsay evidence must be
identified. Expressions of opinion must be supported by detailed evidence and properly
articulated reasoning;
355 </li>
356 <li>
356 Save in wholly exceptional cases, parents must be given adequate prior notice of the date, time
and place of any application by a local authority for an EPO. They must also be given proper
notice of the evidence the local authority is relying upon;
356 </li>
357 <li>
357 Where the application for an EPO is made ex parte, the local authority must make out a
compelling case for applying without first giving the parents notice. An ex parte application
will normally be appropriate only if the case is genuinely one of emergency or other great
urgency - and even then, it should normally be possible to give some kind of albeit informal
notice to the parents - or if there are compelling reasons to believe that the child's welfare
will be compromised if the parents are alerted in advance to what is going on;
357 </li>
358 <li>
358 The evidential burden on the local authority is even heavier if the application is made ex
parte. Those who seek relief ex parte are under a duty to make the fullest and most candid and
frank disclosure of all the relevant circumstances known to them. This duty is not confined to
the material facts; it extends to all relevant matters, whether of fact or law;
358 </li>
359 <li>
359 Section 45(7)(b) of the Children Act 1989 permits the court to hear oral evidence. But it is
important that those who are not present should nonetheless be able to know what oral evidence
and other materials have been put before the court. The court must keep a note of the substance
of the oral evidence and must record in writing not merely its reasons but also any findings of
fact;
359 </li>
360 <li>
360 The local authority should immediately on request inform the parents of exactly what has gone on
in their absence. Parents against whom an EPO is made ex parte are entitled to be given, if they
ask, proper information as to what happened at the hearing and to be told, if they ask: (i)
exactly what documents, bundles or other evidential materials were lodged with the court either
before or during the course of the hearing; and (ii) what legal authorities were cited to the
court. The local authority's legal representatives should respond forthwith to any reasonable
request from the parents or their legal representatives either for copies of the materials read
by the court or for information about what took place at the hearing. It will, therefore, be
prudent for those acting for the local authority in such a case to keep a proper note of the
proceedings, lest they otherwise find themselves embarrassed by a proper request for information
which they are unable to provide;
360 </li>
361 <li>
361 Section 44(5)(b) of the Children Act 1989 provides that the local authority may exercise its
Parental Responsibility only in such manner 'as is reasonably required to safeguard or promote
the welfare of the child'. Section 44(5)(a) provides that the local authority shall exercise its
power of removal under Section 44(4)(b)(i) 'only...in order to safeguard the welfare of the
child.' The local authority must apply its mind very carefully to whether removal is essential
in order to secure the child's immediate safety. The mere fact that the local authority has
obtained an EPO is not in itself enough. The court decides whether to make an EPO. But the local
authority decides whether to remove. The local authority, even after it has obtained an EPO, is
under an obligation to consider less drastic alternatives to emergency removal. Section 44(5)
requires a process within the local authority whereby there is a further consideration of the
action to be taken after the EPO has been obtained. Though no procedure is specified, it will
obviously be prudent for local authorities to have in place procedures to ensure both that the
required decision making actually takes place and that it is appropriately documented;
361 </li>
362 <li>
362 Consistently with the local authority's positive obligation under Article 8 to take appropriate
action to reunite parent and child, section 44(10)(a) and 44(11)(a) impose on the local
authority a mandatory obligation to return a child who it has removed under section 44(4)(b)(i)
to the parent from whom the child was removed if 'it appears to the local authority that it is
safe for the child to be returned'. This imposes on the local authority a continuing duty to
keep the case under review day by day so as to ensure that parent and child are separated for no
longer than it is necessary to secure the child's safety. In this, as in other respects, the
local authority is under a duty to exercise exceptional diligence;
362 </li>
363 <li>
363 Section 44(13) of the Children Act 1989 requires the local authority, subject only to any
directions given by the court under section 44(6), to allow a child who is subject to an EPO
'reasonable contact' with his parents. Arrangements for contact must be driven by the needs of
the family, not stunted by lack of resources.
363 </li>
364 </ol>
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