Explanatory note

These Regulations replace the Boarding-out of Children Regulations 1955, which are revoked by regulation 20.

The Regulations apply to the boarding out of children (referred to in the Regulations as “placement”) by local authorities and voluntary organisations. The Regulations require households in which children are placed to be approved by local authorities or voluntary organisations (regulation 3); make provision for children to be medically examined before they are placed and for their health care during placement (regulation 4); prescribe the duties of authorities and organisations in respect of placements (regulation 5); provide for undertakings and written agreements by foster parents (regulation 6); provide for notices of placements to be given to parents and other persons and authorities (regulation 7); require authorities and organisations to arrange for visits and to carry out reviews of placements (regulation 8); make provision for emergency placements by authorities (regulation 9); restrict placements outside England and Wales (regulation 10); require registers to be kept by authorities and confidential records relating to placements and foster parents to be kept by authorities and organisations (regulations 12 to 15); specify information to be given to local authorities by other authorities and by organisations (regulation 16); provide for cases where the supervisory duties of one authority are carried out by another (regulation 17); impose duties on local authorities in regard to children placed by organisations (regulation 18); and contain transitional provisions (regulation 19).