ABSTRACT
Application for an emergency protection order: section 44 of the Children Act 1989 This is an order designed to ensure the short term safety of a child where it is considered necessary by a local authority, NSPCC or a designated police officer. The order permits the person seeking it to remove the child from his home to a safe place or to keep him in a safe place, for example, a hospital. These orders are of limited duration, usually eight days with one extension permitted for a further maximum period of seven days. The usual ground for seeking an order is that there is reasonable cause to believe that the child is likely to suffer significant harm if the child is not removed and accommodated by the local authority or kept where s/he is.
