Member

The latter part of the Government’s response, however, seems to introduce this form of discretion. Is it the case that it is automatic? It is important here, because the local authority makes an assessment of whether a child is in need. You can imagine, for parents, the additional assessment: are we a child in need? So the Government’s response does not seem to be at one. Are these children, who are detained, automatically children in need, or is there some form of discretion, or an additional process that the hospital has to go through to ensure that there is a referral?