Police protection explained…
If those with parental responsibility do not agree to have a child placed in voluntary accommodation, but the council believes that the child needs urgent protection, it can ask the police to take the child into ‘police protection’.
In such a case, the police can:
- take the child from their home, or
- stop that child being taken from where they are living.
If the police take the child from their home, the council must then find the child somewhere to stay while under police protection. This would normally be with foster carers or with other family members. Your child can be taken into police protection for, at most, 72 hours. If the council thinks your child should be taken away from home for longer, it must ask the court for an order and would ordinarily make an application for an interim care order in order to then obtain parental responsibility.