{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/guardianship-of-minors-act-1971/section-20",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/guardianship-of-minors-act-1971/section-20.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/1971/3",
  "legislation_title": "Guardianship of Minors Act 1971",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/guardianship-of-minors-act-1971",
  "path": "section/20",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "20",
  "heading": "Short title, interpretation, extent and commencement.",
  "text": "(1) This Act may be cited as the Guardianship of Minors Act 1971.\n(2) In this Act “actual custody”, as respects a child, means the actual possession of the person of the child, “legal custody” shall be construed in accordance with Part IV of the Children Act 1975 and“maintenance” includes education.\n(3) References in this Act to any enactment are references thereto as amended, and include references thereto as applied, by any other enactment.\n(4) This Act—\n(a) so far as it amends the Maintenance Orders Act 1950, extends to Scotland and Northern Ireland;\n(b) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\nbut, save as aforesaid, extends to England and Wales only.\n(5) This Act shall come into force at the expiration of the period of one month beginning with the day on which it is passed.",
  "extent": "E+W",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Words inserted by Domestic Proceedings and Magistrates' Courts Act 1978 (c. 22, SIF 49:3), s. 36(1)(c), Sch. 1"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "S. 20(4)(b) repealed by Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1977 (c. 18), Sch. 1 Pt. I"
    },
    {
      "type": "M",
      "label": "M1",
      "text": "1975 c. 72 (49:9)."
    },
    {
      "type": "M",
      "label": "M2",
      "text": "1950 c. 37."
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1971/3/section/20",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T10:50:31.584839+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}