Part II Promotion of Children’s Welfare by Local Authorities and by Children’s Hearings etc.

Chapter 1 Support for Children and Their Families

Introductory

18 Duty of persons with parental responsibilities to notify change of address to local authority looking after child.

(1)

Where a child is being looked after by a local authority, each natural person who has parental responsibilities in relation to the child shall, without unreasonable delay, inform that authority whenever the person changes his address.

(2)

A person who knowingly fails to comply with the requirement imposed by subsection (1) above shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine of level 1 on the standard scale; but in any proceedings under this section it shall be a defence that—

(a)

the change was to the same address as that to which another person who at that time had parental responsibilities in relation to the child was changing; and

(b)

the accused had reasonable cause to believe that the other person had informed the authority of the change of address of them both.