{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/human-trafficking-and-exploitation-scotland-act-2015/section-12",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/human-trafficking-and-exploitation-scotland-act-2015/section-12.json",
  "legislation": "asp/2015/12",
  "legislation_title": "Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/human-trafficking-and-exploitation-scotland-act-2015",
  "path": "section/12",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "12",
  "heading": "Presumption of age",
  "text": "(1) This section applies where—\n(a) a relevant authority has reasonable grounds to believe that a person may be a victim of an offence of human trafficking, and\n(b) the authority is not certain of the person's age but has reasonable grounds to believe that the person may be a child.\n(2) Until an assessment of the person's age is carried out by a local authority, or the person's age is otherwise determined, the relevant authority must assume that the person is a child for the purposes of exercising its functions under the relevant enactments.\n(3) The “relevant enactments” are—\n(a) an enactment which applies to a child who is looked after by a local authority within the meaning of section 17(6)(a) of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 (child for whom a local authority is providing accommodation),\n(b) section 22 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 (promotion by a local authority of welfare of children in need),\n(c) section 25 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 (provision by a local authority of accommodation for children),\n(d) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n(e) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n(f) section 11.\n(4) In this section, “relevant authority” means—\n(a) a Health Board constituted under section 2(1) of the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978, and\n(b) a local authority.\n(5) The Scottish Ministers may by regulations modify subsections (3) and (4).",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "S. 12(3)(d) repealed (5.5.2025) by Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Act 2024 (asp 5), s. 38(3), sch. para. 28(2); S.S.I. 2025/115, reg. 2(1)(f)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "S. 12(3)(e) repealed (5.5.2025) by Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Act 2024 (asp 5), s. 38(3), sch. para. 28(2); S.S.I. 2025/115, reg. 2(1)(f)"
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "S. 12 in force at 31.5.2016 for specified purposes by S.S.I. 2016/128, reg. 2, Sch."
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I2",
      "text": "S. 12 in force at 31.1.2018 in so far as not already in force by S.S.I. 2018/9, reg. 2(a)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2015/12/section/12",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T20:13:43.258361+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."
}