Emergency Protection Order

An emergency protection order is made when a child is in in immediate danger and may have to be taken away from home quickly.

This might be because someone has called the police if they are worried that a child being hurt, it could be because the child have told someone like a teacher that they are being hurt, or they might already be in a safe place, like a hospital.

Social 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.