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Supervision order.
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19.—(1) Where, on the application of a health board, with respect to a child who resides in its area, the court is satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for believing that—
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(a) the child has been or is being assaulted, ill-treated, neglected or sexually abused, or
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(b) the child's health, development or welfare has been or is being avoidably impaired or neglected, or
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(c) the child's health, development or welfare is likely to be avoidably impaired or neglected,
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and it is desirable that the child be visited periodically by or on behalf of the health board, the court may make an order (in this Act referred to as a “supervision order”) in respect of the child.
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(2) A supervision order shall authorise the health board to have the child visited on such periodic occasions as the board may consider necessary in order to satisfy itself as to the welfare of the child and to give to his parents or to a person acting in loco parentis any necessary advice as to the care of the child.
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(3) Any parent or person acting in loco parentis who is dissatisfied with the manner in which a health board is exercising its authority to have a child visited in accordance with this section may apply to the court and the court may give such directions as it sees fit as to the manner in which the child is to be visited and the health board shall comply with any such direction.
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(4) Where a court makes a supervision order in respect of a child, it may, on the application of the health board, either at the time of the making of the order or at any time during the currency of the order, give such directions as it sees fit as to the care of the child, which may require the parents of the child or a person acting in loco parentis to cause him to attend for medical or psychiatric examination, treatment or assessment at a hospital, clinic or other place specified by the court.
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(5) Any person who fails to comply with the terms of a supervision order or any directions given by a court under subsection (4) or who prevents a person from visiting a child on behalf of the health board or who obstructs or impedes any such person visiting a child in pursuance of such an order shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £500 or, at the discretion of the court, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or both such fine and such imprisonment.
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(6) A supervision order shall remain in force for a period of 12 months or such shorter period as may be specified in the order and, in any event, shall cease to have effect when the person in respect of whom the order is made ceases to be a child.
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(7) On or before the expiration of a supervision order, a further supervision order may be made on the application of the health board with effect from the expiration of the first mentioned order.
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