Legal Update: Legal Q&A - Complaints against children's services

A. The Children Act 1989 (ss.26(3) and 24D) and the Adoption and Children Act 2002 (s.3(1)) require that a local authority establish a procedure in relation to complaints made by the following individuals: a child or young person being looked after by the local authority and the child's parents or carers; a child or young person who is not looked after, but is a child in need and the parents or carers of such a child; a local authority foster carer; a child or young person leaving care; special guardians; a child or young person under a special guardianship order; a child or young person who may be adopted and any person wishing to adopt a child; any child or young person who has been adopted and the child's natural and adoptive parents or carers; and any person that the local authority considers has a sufficient interest in the child's welfare to warrant his or her representations being considered by them.