30. Emergency Protection of Children
When a child is in imminent need of protection, the order used to protect the child is an emergency protection order (EPO) under s44 of the Children Act 1989. This chapter discusses the use of emergency protection orders in public law for children and examines the factors a court will consider when asked to make an emergency order. It looks at contact when an EPO is in place, duration and discharge of an application, and procedure. Case-law is used to provide guidance. It also looks at the powers available to the police when faced with a child in need of protection.