About Section 20
Under Section 20 of the Children's Act 1989, Medway Council must provide accommodation to certain children in need.
Section 20 is used to accommodate children and young people if they're unable to live with their parents.
Children aged 16 and over need to give their consent to be cared for under a Section 20 agreement.
Duty of the council
Children accommodated under Section 20 are considered looked after children.
A 16 or 17 year old who is capable and has all the information to make an informed decision cannot be made to accept accommodation under Section 20 if they do not want it.
If a 16 or 17 year old who is currently accommodated under Section 20 decides they no longer want to be accommodated, they cannot be made to accept the help.
We do not have parental responsibility for a child accommodated under section 20.
When we are accommodating a young person about the age of 16, we will consider their views.