Children and Families Bill (HC Bill 131)

registration of certain childcare providers with those agencies, and other
related amendments) has effect.

74 Inspections at request of providers of childcare to young children

In section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006 (inspections of early years provision),
5after subsection (5) insert—

“(5A) The Chief Inspector may charge a prescribed fee for conducting an
inspection of early years provision where—

(a) the inspection is conducted at the request of a registered person
who provides that early years provision, and

(b) 10the Chief Inspector is required by the Secretary of State under
subsection (2)(b) to conduct that inspection.”

75 Repeal of local authority’s duty to assess sufficiency of childcare provision

Section 11 of the Childcare Act 2006 (duty of local authority in England to
assess sufficiency of childcare provision) is repealed.

76 15Governing bodies: provision of community facilities

(1) Section 28 of the Education Act 2002 (limits on the powers of governing bodies
of maintained schools to provide community facilities etc under section 27) is
amended as follows.

(2) In subsection (4), for “a governing body” substitute “the governing body of a
20maintained school in Wales”.

(3) Omit subsection (4C).

(4) In subsection (5)—

(a) for “a governing body” substitute “the governing body of a maintained
school in Wales”, and

(b) 25in paragraph (a) omit “(in relation to England) by the Secretary of State
or (in relation to Wales)”.

Part 5 The Children’s Commissioner

77 Primary function of the Children’s Commissioner

30For section 2 of the Children Act 2004 (general function of the Children’s
Commissioner) substitute—

“2 Primary function: children’s rights, views and interests

(1) The Children’s Commissioner’s primary function is promoting and
protecting the rights of children in England.

(2) 35The primary function includes promoting awareness of the views and
interests of children in England.

(3) In the discharge of the primary function the Children’s Commissioner
may, in particular—

(a) advise persons exercising functions or engaged in activities
affecting children on how to act compatibly with the rights of
children;

(b) encourage such persons to take account of the views and
5interests of children;

(c) advise the Secretary of State on the rights, views and interests of
children;

(d) consider the potential effect on the rights of children of
government policy proposals and government proposals for
10legislation;

(e) bring any matter to the attention of either House of Parliament;

(f) investigate the availability and effectiveness of complaints
procedures so far as relating to children;

(g) investigate the availability and effectiveness of advocacy
15services for children;

(h) investigate any other matter relating to the rights or interests of
children;

(i) monitor the implementation in England of the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of the Child;

(j) 20publish a report on any matter considered or investigated under
this section.

(4) In the discharge of the primary function, the Children’s Commissioner
must have particular regard to the rights of children who are within
section 8A (children living away from home or receiving social care)
25and other groups of children who the Commissioner considers to be at
particular risk of having their rights infringed.

(5) The Children’s Commissioner may not conduct an investigation of the
case of an individual child in the discharge of the primary function.

2A United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

(1) 30The Children’s Commissioner must have regard to the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of the Child in considering for the purposes
of the primary function what constitute the rights and interests of
children (generally or so far as relating to a particular matter).

(2) The references in section 2(3)(i) and this section to the United Nations
35Convention on the Rights of the Child are to the Convention on the
Rights of the Child adopted by the General Assembly of the United
Nations on 20th November 1989 (including any Protocols to that
Convention which are in force in relation to the United Kingdom),
subject to any reservations, objections or interpretative declarations by
40the United Kingdom for the time being in force.

2B Involving children in the discharge of the primary function

(1) The Children’s Commissioner must take reasonable steps to involve
children in the discharge of the primary function.

(2) The Commissioner must in particular take reasonable steps to—

(a) 45ensure that children are aware of the Commissioner’s primary
function and how they may communicate with him or her, and

(b) consult children, and organisations working with children, on
the matters the Commissioner proposes to consider or
investigate in the discharge of the primary function.

(3) The Children’s Commissioner must for the purposes of this section
5have particular regard to children who are within section 8A (children
living away from home or receiving social care) and other groups of
children who the Commissioner considers do not have adequate means
by which they can make their views known.

2C Primary function: reports

(1) 10This section applies where the Children’s Commissioner publishes a
report in the discharge of the primary function.

(2) The Commissioner must, if and to the extent he or she considers it
appropriate, also publish the report in a version which is suitable for
children (or, if the report relates to a particular group of children, for
15those children).

(3) Where the report contains recommendations about the exercise by a
person of functions of a public nature, the Commissioner may require
that person to state in writing, within such period as the Commissioner
may reasonably require, what action the person has taken or proposes
20to take in response to the recommendations.”

78 Provision by Commissioner of advice and assistance to certain children

After section 2C of the Children Act 2004 (as inserted by section 77) insert—

“2D Provision of advice and assistance to certain children in England

(1) The Children’s Commissioner may provide advice and assistance to
25any child who is within section 8A (children living away from home or
receiving social care).

(2) The Children’s Commissioner may in particular under this section
make representations on behalf of a child who is within section 8A to a
person in England who is—

(a) 30providing the child with accommodation or services, or

(b) otherwise exercising functions in relation to the child.”

79 Commissioner’s powers to enter premises

After section 2D of the Children Act 2004 (as inserted by section 78) insert—

“2E Powers to enter premises to conduct interviews or observe standards

(1) 35This section applies for the purposes of the Children’s Commissioner’s
primary function and the function under section 2D.

(2) The Children’s Commissioner, or a person authorised by the
Commissioner, may at any reasonable time enter any premises, other
than a private dwelling—

(a) 40for the purpose of interviewing a child, or

(b) for the purpose of observing the standard of care provided to
children accommodated or otherwise cared for there.

(3) An interview of a child under subsection (2)(a) may be conducted in
private, if the child consents.

(4) A person who enters premises under subsection (1) may interview any
person present on the premises who works there.

(5) 5It is immaterial for the purposes of subsection (4) whether a person’s
work is paid, or under a contract of employment.”

80 Provision of information to Commissioner

After section 2E of the Children Act 2004 (as inserted by section 79) insert—

“2F Provision of information to Commissioner

(1) 10Any person exercising functions of a public nature must supply the
Children’s Commissioner with such information in that person’s
possession relating to those functions as the Commissioner may
reasonably request for the purposes of the primary function or the
function under section 2D.

(2) 15The information must be information which that person would, apart
from subsection (1), lawfully be able to disclose to the Commissioner.”

81 Advisory board

After section 7 of the Children Act 2004 insert—

“7A Advisory board

(1) 20The Children’s Commissioner must appoint an advisory board to
provide the Commissioner with advice and assistance relating to the
discharge of his or her functions.

(2) The advisory board must consist of persons who (taken together)
represent a broad range of interests which are relevant to the Children’s
25Commissioner’s functions.

(3) The Children’s Commissioner must from time to time publish a report
on the procedure followed and the criteria used when making
appointments to the advisory board.”

82 Business plans

30After section 7A of the Children Act 2004 (as inserted by section 81) insert—

“7B Business plans

(1) The Children’s Commissioner must publish a business plan which sets
out, in relation to the discharge of the Commissioner’s functions—

(a) the Commissioner’s proposed main activities for the period
35covered by the plan (including the matters he or she intends to
consider or investigate), and

(b) the Commissioner’s proposed strategic priorities for that
period.

(2) A business plan must cover a period of at least 12 months beginning
40with the date of publication.

(3) The Commissioner must publish a new business plan before the end of
the period covered by the preceding business plan.

(4) Before publishing a business plan under this section, the Children’s
Commissioner must—

(a) 5take reasonable steps to consult children,

(b) consult persons who (taken together) represent a broad range of
interests which are relevant to the Children’s Commissioner’s
functions, and

(c) consult such other persons as the Commissioner thinks
10appropriate.

(5) The Children’s Commissioner must for the purposes of subsection
(4)(a) have particular regard to children who are within section 8A
(children living away from home or receiving social care) and other
groups of children who the Commissioner considers do not have
15adequate means by which they can make their views known.”

83 Annual reports

(1) Section 8 of the Children Act 2004 (annual reports) is amended as follows.

(2) In subsection (1)—

(a) in paragraph (a) omit “under this Part, other than functions of holding
20inquiries”,

(b) after paragraph (a) insert “and”, and

(c) omit paragraph (c) and the “and” which precedes it.

(3) In subsection (2) for the words from “an account” to the end substitute “—

(a) a summary of the Commissioner’s activities and an analysis of
25the effectiveness of those activities in promoting and protecting
the rights of children,

(b) an account of what the Commissioner has done in the discharge
of his or her functions in relation to children who are within
section 8A (children living away from home or receiving social
30care), and

(c) an account of the steps taken by the Commissioner to involve
children in the discharge of his or her functions.”

(4) In subsection (3)(b) for “the Secretary of State” substitute “the Commissioner”.

(5) In subsection (4) for “the Secretary of State has laid” substitute “laying”.

(6) 35For subsection (5) substitute—

“(5) If the Children’s Commissioner does not consider a report made under
this section to be suitable for children, the Commissioner must publish
a version of the report which is suitable for children.”

84 Children living away from home or receiving social care

40After section 8 of the Children Act 2004 insert—

“8A Children in England living away from home or receiving social care

(1) For the purposes of this Part, a child is within this section if he or she is
within any of subsections (2) to (5).

(2) A child is within this subsection if he or she is provided with
accommodation by a school or college in England to which section 87(1)
of the Children Act 1989 applies.

(3) A child is within this subsection if he or she is accommodated in an
5establishment (within the meaning of the Care Standards Act 2000) in
respect of which Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education,
Children’s Services and Skills is the registration authority under
section 5 of that Act.

(4) A child is within this subsection if functions are being exercised in
10relation to him or her by an agency (within the meaning of the Care
Standards Act 2000) in respect of which Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector
of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is the registration authority
under section 5 of that Act.

(5) A child is within this subsection if a local authority in England exercises
15social services functions (within the meaning of the Local Authority
Social Services Act 1970) in relation to him or her.

(6) For the purposes of this Part, a person who is not a child is to be treated
as a child who is within this section if—

(a) he or she is aged 18 or over and under 25, and

(b) 20a local authority in England has provided services to him or her
under any of sections 23C to 24D of the Children Act 1989 at any
time after he or she reached the age of 16.”

85 Children’s Commissioner: minor and consequential amendments

Schedule 5 (minor and consequential amendments to Part 1 of the Children Act
252004 and to other Acts) has effect.

86 Repeal of requirement to appoint Children’s Rights Director

(1) Section 120 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 (requirement to appoint
Children’s Rights Director) is repealed.

(2) In that Act—

(a) 30in section 117 (performance of functions of the Office for Standards in
Education, Children’s Services and Skills), in subsection (2) after
paragraph (a) insert—

“(aa) any matters raised by the Children’s Commissioner
with the Office or the Chief Inspector;”, and

(b) 35in section 119 (performance of the functions of the Chief Inspector of
Education, Children’s Services and Skills), in subsection (3) after
paragraph (a) (and before the “and” which follows it) insert—

“(aa) any matters raised by the Children’s Commissioner
with the Chief Inspector;”.

(3) 40In consequence of subsection (1), in the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act
2006, in Part 1 of Schedule 4 (regulated activity related to children), omit sub-
paragraph (1)(r) of paragraph 4.

(4) Schedule 6 (transfers of staff and property in consequence of the repeal of the
requirement to appoint a Children’s Rights Director) has effect.

Part 6 Statutory rights to leave and pay

Shared parental leave

87 Shared parental leave

(1) 5In Part 8 of the Employment Rights Act 1996, after section 75D there is
inserted—

“Chapter 1B

Shared parental leave

75E Entitlement to shared parental leave: birth

(1) The Secretary of State may make regulations entitling an employee who
satisfies specified conditions—

(a) 10as to duration of employment,

(b) as to being, or expecting to be, the mother of a child,

(c) as to caring or intending to care, with another person (“P”), for
the child,

(d) as to entitlement to maternity leave,

(e) 15as to the exercise of that entitlement and the extent of any such
exercise,

(f) as to giving notice of an intention to exercise an entitlement to
leave under this subsection, and

(g) as to the consent of P to the amount of leave under this
20subsection that the employee intends to take,

to be absent from work on leave under this subsection for the purpose
of caring for the child.

(2) Regulations under subsection (1) may provide that the employee’s
entitlement is subject to the satisfaction by P of specified conditions—

(a) 25as to employment or self-employment,

(b) as to having earnings of a specified amount for a specified
period,

(c) as to caring or intending to care, with the employee, for the
child, and

(d) 30as to relationship with the child or the employee.

(3) Provision under subsection (1)(f) may require the employee to give
notice to the employer about—

(a) the amount of leave to which the employee would be entitled if
the entitlement were fully exercised (disregarding for these
35purposes any intention of P to exercise an entitlement to leave
under subsection (4) or to statutory shared parental pay);

(b) how much of the entitlement to leave the employee intends to
exercise;

(c) the extent to which P intends to exercise an entitlement to leave
40under subsection (4) or to statutory shared parental pay.

(4) The Secretary of State may make regulations entitling an employee who
satisfies specified conditions—

(a) as to duration of employment,

(b) as to relationship with a child or expected child or with the
5child’s mother,

(c) as to caring or intending to care, with the child’s mother, for the
child,

(d) as to giving notice of an intention to exercise an entitlement to
leave under this subsection, and

(e) 10as to the consent of the child’s mother to the amount of leave
under this subsection that the employee intends to take,

to be absent from work on leave under this subsection for the purpose
of caring for the child.

(5) Regulations under subsection (4) may provide that the employee’s
15entitlement is subject to the satisfaction by the child’s mother of
specified conditions—

(a) as to employment or self-employment,

(b) as to having earnings of a specified amount for a specified
period,

(c) 20as to caring or intending to care, with the employee, for the
child,

(d) as to entitlement (or lack of entitlement) to maternity leave,
statutory maternity pay or maternity allowance, and

(e) as to the exercise of any such entitlement and the extent of any
25such exercise.

(6) Provision under subsection (4)(d) may require the employee to give
notice to the employer about—

(a) the amount of leave to which the employee would be entitled if
the entitlement were fully exercised (disregarding for these
30purposes any intention of the child’s mother to exercise an
entitlement to leave under subsection (1) or to statutory shared
parental pay);

(b) how much of the entitlement to leave the employee intends to
exercise;

(c) 35the extent to which the child’s mother intends to exercise an
entitlement to leave under subsection (1) or to statutory shared
parental pay.

75F Entitlement to leave under section 75E: further provision

(1) Regulations under section 75E are to include provision for
40determining—

(a) the amount of leave under section 75E(1) or (4) to which an
employee is entitled in respect of a child;

(b) when leave under section 75E(1) or (4) may be taken.

(2) Provision under subsection (1)(a) is to secure that the amount of leave
45to which an employee is entitled in respect of a child does not exceed—

(a) in a case where the child’s mother became entitled to maternity
leave, the relevant amount of time reduced by—

(i) where her maternity leave ends without her ordinary or
additional maternity leave period having been curtailed

by virtue of section 71(3)(ba) or 73(3)(a), the amount of
maternity leave taken by the child’s mother, or

(ii) except where sub-paragraph (i) applies, the amount of
time between the beginning of her maternity leave and
5the time when her ordinary or additional maternity
leave period, as curtailed by virtue of section 71(3)(ba)
or 73(3)(a), comes to an end;

(b) in a case where the child’s mother became entitled to statutory
maternity pay or maternity allowance but not maternity leave,
10the relevant amount of time reduced by an amount determined
in accordance with paragraph (a) or, as the case may be,
paragraph (b) of section 171ZU(6) of the Social Security
Contributions and Benefits Act 1992.

(3) In subsection (2) “the relevant amount of time” means an amount of
15time specified in or determined in accordance with regulations made
by the Secretary of State.

(4) Provision under subsection (1)(a) is to secure that the amount of leave
that an employee is entitled to take in respect of a child takes into
account—

(a) 20in a case where another person is entitled to leave under section
75E in respect of the child, the amount of such leave taken by the
other person;

(b) in a case where another person is entitled to statutory shared
parental pay in respect of the child but not leave under section
2575E, the number of weeks in respect of which such pay is
payable to the other person.

(5) In reckoning for the purposes of subsection (2) the amount of maternity
leave taken, a part of a week is to be treated as a full week.

(6) In reckoning for the purposes of subsection (4) the amount of leave
30under section 75E taken during a period of such leave, a part of a week
is to be treated as a full week.

(7) Provision under subsection (1)(b) is to secure that leave under section
75E must be taken before the end of such period as may be specified by
the regulations.

(8) 35Regulations under section 75E are to provide for the taking of leave
under section 75E in a single period or in non-consecutive periods.

(9) Regulations under section 75E may—

(a) provide for an employer, subject to such restrictions as may be
specified, to require an employee who proposes to take non-
40consecutive periods of leave under section 75E to take that
amount of leave as a single period of leave;

(b) provide for a single period of leave that is so imposed on an
employee to start with a day proposed by the employee or, if no
day is proposed, with the first day of the first period of leave
45proposed by the employee.

(10) Regulations under section 75E may provide for the variation, subject to
such restrictions as may be specified, of—

(a) the period or periods during which an amount of leave under
section 75E may be taken;

(b) the amount of leave under section 75E that the employee
previously specified in accordance with provision under
section 75E(3)(b) or (6)(b) or subsection (13)(b) of this section.

(11) Provision under subsection (10)(a) may provide for variation to be
5subject to the consent of an employer in circumstances specified by the
regulations.

(12) Provision under subsection (10)(b) may require an employee to satisfy
specified conditions—

(a) as to giving notice of an intention to vary the amount of leave
10under section 75E to be taken by the employee;

(b) if the employee proposes to vary the amount of leave under
section 75E(1) to be taken by the employee, as to the consent of
P to that variation;

(c) if the employee proposes to vary the amount of leave under
15section 75E(4) to be taken by the employee, as to the consent of
the child’s mother to that variation.

(13) Provision under subsection (12)(a) may require an employee to give
notice to the employer about—

(a) the extent to which the employee has exercised an entitlement
20to leave under section 75E(1) or (4) in respect of the child;

(b) how much of the entitlement to leave the employee intends to
exercise;

(c) the extent to which a person other than the employee has
exercised an entitlement to leave under section 75E or to
25statutory shared parental pay in respect of the child;

(d) the extent to which a person other than the employee intends to
exercise such an entitlement.

(14) Regulations under section 75E may—

(a) specify things which are, or are not, to be taken as done for the
30purpose of caring for a child;

(b) make provision excluding the right to be absent on leave under
section 75E in respect of a child where more than one child is
born as a result of the same pregnancy;

(c) specify a minimum amount of leave under section 75E which
35may be taken;

(d) make provision about how leave under section 75E may be
taken;

(e) specify circumstances in which an employee may work for the
employer during a period of leave under section 75E without
40bringing the particular period of leave, or the employee’s
entitlement to leave under section 75E, to an end;

(f) specify circumstances in which an employee may be absent on
leave under section 75E otherwise than for the purpose of
caring for a child without bringing the person’s entitlement to
45leave under section 75E to an end.

(15) In this section “week” means any period of seven days.

(16) The Secretary of State may by regulations provide that the following do
not have effect, or have effect with modifications specified by the
regulations, in a case where the mother of a child dies before another