s.63Duties of the Department
63
Section 63Part 7 — VOLUNTARY HOMES AND VOLUNTARY ORGANISATIONS

Duties of the Department

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The Department shall satisfy itself that any voluntary organisation providing accommodation —
within the Islands for any child; or
on behalf of the Department, is satisfactorily safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children so provided with accommodation.
The Department shall arrange for children who are accommodated by voluntary organisations to be visited, from time to time, in the interests of their welfare.
The Governor in Cabinet may make regulations —
requiring every child who is accommodated within the Islands by a voluntary organisation, to be visited by an officer of the Department —
in prescribed circumstances; and
on specified occasions or within specified periods; and
imposing requirements which must be met by the Department or officer of the Department, carrying out functions under this section.
Subsection (2) does not apply in relation to community homes.
Where the Department is not satisfied that the welfare of any child who is accommodated by a voluntary organisation is being satisfactorily safeguarded or promoted it shall —
unless it considers that it would not be in the best interests of the child, take such steps as are reasonably practicable to secure that the care and accommodation of the child is undertaken by —
a parent of the child;
any person who is not a parent of the child but who has parental responsibility for him; or
a relative of the child; and
consider the extent to which (if at all) it should exercise any of its functions with respect to the child.
Any person authorised by the Department may, for the purpose of enabling the Department to discharge its duties under this section —
enter, at any reasonable time, and inspect any premises in which children are being accommodated as mentioned in subsection (1) or (2);
inspect any children there; and
require any person to furnish him with such records of a kind required to be kept by regulations made under paragraph 7 of Schedule 5 (in whatever form they are held), or allow him to inspect such records, as he may at any time direct.
Any person exercising the power conferred by subsection (6) shall, if asked to do so, produce some duly authenticated document showing his authority to do so.
Any person authorised to exercise the power to inspect records conferred by subsection (6) —
shall be entitled at any reasonable time to have access to, and inspect and check the operation of, any computer and any associated apparatus or material which is or has been in use in connection with the records in question; and
may require —
the person by whom or on whose behalf the computer is or has been so used; or
any person having charge of, or otherwise concerned with the operation of, the computer, apparatus or material,
Any person who intentionally obstructs another in the exercise of any power conferred by subsection (6) or (8) commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding $2,000.

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