Child in need

In England the label comes from section 17 Section 17 The part of the Children Act 1989 that says councils must support children in need. A social worker may name it as the legal basis for help your family is offered. Read the full definition of Section 17 of the Children Act 1989. A child counts as in need if they are unlikely to reach or keep a reasonable standard of health or development without council Local authority Your local council. In England, Wales and Scotland, this is the body you ask to assess what extra help your child needs. Read the full definition of Local authority services, if their health or development would be significantly impaired without those services, or if they are disabled.

That last part matters: in England every disabled child is a child in need in law. Families are rarely told this, so the phrase can land as an alarm when it is actually a doorway. It is how a council decides who it must offer services to, such as short breaks Short breaks Short breaks give your disabled child time doing something they enjoy with another trusted person, and give the rest of the family a rest. You can ask your council what is on offer where you live. Read the full definition of Short breaks or help at home.

A child in need plan, sometimes called a CIN plan, sets out the support agreed at child in need meetings. It is a support plan. It is not a child protection plan Child protection plan A plan drawn up when a meeting decides a child needs protecting from harm. It says what must change, who will do what, and when it will be checked. Read the full definition of Child protection plan , which is the separate process used when a council believes a child is being harmed.

The other UK nations have their own versions of the same idea: the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, the Children (Scotland) Act 1995, and the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995.