Agreements to Avoid? The Use and Experience of s20 Agreements in Child Protection

1989年《儿童法》第20条允许社会工作者在与对儿童负有父母责任的人达成协议的情况下，为儿童提供寄养或寄宿照料。制定这一条的目的是为患病或残疾的家庭提供暂时的休息。然而，它逐渐演变成一种保护工具。出于对儿童保护的考虑，社会工作者现在经常与父母达成"20项协议“，使他们能够将儿童带走和安置。根据第20条提供的住宿没有经过司法审查，而且往往事先没有向父母和/或社会工作者提供任何法律的咨询意见。近年来，这已成为一个令人关切的问题;特别是在一些报告的案件中，s20被用来非法（例如通过胁迫）或在没有法律的安全的情况下长期带走儿童。

Section 20 of the Children Act 1989 ("s20") allows social workers to accommodate children in foster or residential care with the agreement of those with parental responsibility for the child. This section was enacted with the intention to provide respite for families suffering with illness or disability. However, it has gradually morphed into a safeguarding tool. Social workers now frequently resort to making 's20 agreements' with parents to enable them to remove and accommodate children due to child protection concerns. Accommodation under s20 occurs without judicial scrutiny and often without any prior legal advice to the parentsand/or the social worker. This has, in recent years, become a cause for concern; particularly following a number of reported cases where s20 has been used to remove children unlawfully (by coercion, for example) or for lengthy periods with no legal security.