what is a supervision order

A supervision order is a legal order obtained by the local authority through the court, which requires a child to be supervised by social services while still living in the family home or placed with a relative, to ensure that the child is well cared for. It is designed to allow the local authority to keep a reasonable amount of control over the child where there has been harm or a risk of harm but not enough continuing harm to warrant a Care Order. A Supervision Order does not confer Parental Responsibility to the Local Authority, but it places a responsibility on the local authority to “advise, assist and befriend” the child and by extension, the people with whom the child lives. The responsible person, in relation to a supervised child, means any person who has parental responsibility for the child and any other person with whom the child is living. Supervision orders are normally made for six months or 12 months at a time. The court can only grant a supervision order to the local authority if they believe that the child is suffering harm or is at risk of suffering harm in the future, and the harm is being caused by the child’s parents, or the parents are unable to protect the child from harm as they are unable to control the child.