Section 100: Restrictions on use of wardship jurisdiction.

Children Act 1989 · 1989 c. 41View on legislation.gov.uk

Part XII: Miscellaneous and General

Section 7 of the Family Law Reform Act 1969 (which gives the High Court power to place a ward of court in the care, or under the supervision, of a local authority) shall cease to have effect.

No court shall exercise the High Court's inherent jurisdiction with respect to children—

so as to require a child to be placed in the care, or put under the supervision, of a local authority;
so as to require a child to be accommodated by or on behalf of a local authority;
so as to make a child who is the subject of a care order a ward of court; or
for the purpose of conferring on any local authority power to determine any question which has arisen, or which may arise, in connection with any aspect of parental responsibility for a child.

No application for any exercise of the court's inherent jurisdiction with respect to children may be made by a local authority unless the authority have obtained the leave of the court.

The court may only grant leave if it is satisfied that—

the result which the authority wish to achieve could not be achieved through the making of any order of a kind to which subsection (5) applies; and
there is reasonable cause to believe that if the court's inherent jurisdiction is not exercised with respect to the child he is likely to suffer significant harm.

This subsection applies to any order—

made otherwise than in the exercise of the court's inherent jurisdiction; and
which the local authority is entitled to apply for (assuming, in the case of any application which may only be made with leave, that leave is granted).

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Reuse reviewed 21 August 2026 under Open Government Licence v3.0.