Law
Children and Young Persons Act 1963
United Kingdom · statute
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In force since 2015-04-13, as the publisher states.
Copy read on 2026-11-08. The page it was read from
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.
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Contents: 57 provisions
- Title and introductory text
- 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- 16 Offences committed by children.
- 17 Constitution and place of sitting of juvenile courts.
- 18 Jurisdiction of magistrates’ courts in certain cases involving children and young persons.
- 19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- 20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- 21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- 22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- 23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- 24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- 25 Attendance at court of parents of child or young person brought before court.
- 26 Medical evidence by certificate.
- 27 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- 28 Form of oath for use in juvenile courts and by children and young persons in other courts.
- 29 Provisions as to persons between the ages of 17 and 18.
- 30 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- 31 Increase of penalty for cruelty.
- 32 Increase of penalty for sales of tobacco, etc., to persons under 16.
- 33 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- 34 Hours of employment.
- 35 Street trading.
- 36 Increase of certain penalties.
- 37 Restriction on persons under 16 taking part in public performances, etc.
- 38 Restriction on licences for performances by children under 14.
- 39 Supplementary provisions as to licences under section 37.
- 40 Offences.
- 41 Licences for training persons between 12 and 16 for performances of a dangerous nature.
- 42 Licences for children and young persons performing abroad.
- 43 Extended powers of entry.
- 44 Construction of Part II.
- 45 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- 48 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- 49 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- 50 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- 51 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- 53 Arrest in one part of British Islands of children or young persons escaping in other part.
- 54 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- 55 Emigration with consent of Secretary of State.
- 56 Prosecution of offences under Part I or Part II of principal Act.
- 57 Newspaper and broadcast reports of proceedings involving children.
- 58 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- 59 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- 60 Expenses.
- 61 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- 62 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- 63 Interpretation.
- 64 †Amendments, transitional provisions, and repeals.
- 65 Citation, construction, commencement and extent.
- SCHEDULE 1
- Schedule 2 CONSTITUTION OF JUVENILE COURTS
- Schedule 3 Minor and Consequential Amendments
- SCHEDULE 4
- SCHEDULE 5
Proposed changes to this act
No one has proposed a change to this act yet.
57 provisions
55 Emigration with consent of Secretary of State.
Section 52 of the Adoption Act 1958 (which, subject to exceptions, requires the authority of a provisional adoption order for the taking or sending abroad for adoption of infants who are British subjects) shall not apply in the case of any infant emigrating under the authority of the Secretary of State given under . . . section 17 of the Children Act 1948 or section 23 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 . . .
Propose a change56 Prosecution of offences under Part I or Part II of principal Act.
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Propose a change57 Newspaper and broadcast reports of proceedings involving children.
(1) In section 39 of the principal Act and in section of the principal Scottish Act (which empower a court to prohibit the publication in newspapers of pictures or matter leading to the identifleation of children and young persons concerned in certain proceedings) the words “which arise out of any offence against, or any conduct contrary to, decency or morality” shall be omitted and for the word “against” in paragraph (a) there shall be substituted the words “by or against”. (2) . . . section 54 of the principal Scottish Act (which restrict newspaper reports of proceedings in youth courts) shall, with the necessary modifications, apply in relation to any proceedings on appeal from a youth court (including . . ., in Scotland, stated case) as they apply in relation to proceedings in a youth court. (3) Sections 39 and 49 of the principal Act shall extend to Scotland and the said section 46 shall extend to England and Wales, but— (a) references to a court in the said sections 39 and 49 shall not include a court in Scotland; (aa) as it extends to Scotland, the said section 39 has effect as if the references to a publication were references to a newspaper; and (b) references to a court in the said section 46 shall not include a court in England or Wales. (4) The said sections 39 and 49 and the said sections 46 . . . shall, with the necessary modifications, apply in relation to sound and television broadcasts as they apply in relation to newspapers.
Propose a change58 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Propose a change59 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Propose a change60 Expenses.
There shall be paid out of moneys provided by Parliament any expenses incurred by the Secretary of State under this Act and any increase attributable to this Act in the moneys so payable under any other enactment.
Propose a change61 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Propose a change62 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Propose a change63 Interpretation.
(1) In this Act “the principal Act” means the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 and “the principal Scottish Act” means the Children and Young Persons (Scotland) Act 1937. (1A) The local authorities for the purposes of Parts I and III of this Act shall be the councils of counties (other than metropolitan counties of county boroughs,), of metropolitan districts and of London boroughs and the Common Council of the City of London. (2) References in this Act to any enactment are references thereto as amended and include references thereto as applied, by any other enactment including, except where the context otherwise requires, any enactment contained in this Act.
Propose a change64 †Amendments, transitional provisions, and repeals.
(1) The enactments mentioned in Schedule 3 to this Act shall have effect subject to the amendments specified therein. (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Propose a change65 Citation, construction, commencement and extent.
(1) This Act may be cited as the Children and Young Persons Act 1963. (2) This Act and the Children and Young Persons Acts 1933 to 1956 may be cited as the Children and Young Persons Acts 1933 to 1963, and this Act and the Children and Young Persons (Scotland) Acts 1937 and 1956 may be cited as the Children and Young Persons (Scotland) Acts 1937 to 1963. (3) This Act, except in so far as it amends any Act not construed as one with the principal Act or the principal Scottish Act, shall be construed, in its application to England and Wales, as one with the principal Act and, in its application to Scotland, as one with the principal Scottish Act. (4) The following provisions of this Act do not extend to Scotland, that is to say, Part I except sections 1, 10 and 32, sections 56 and 61, and Schedules 1 and 2 and Schedule 4 except paragraph 3. (5) sections 42 . . . of this Act, paragraphs 7, 8, . . . and 50 of Schedule 3, and so much of Schedule 5 as relates to section 25 and section 26 of the principal Act, extend to Northern Ireland. (6) This Act shall come into operation on such day as the Secretary of State may by order made by statutory instrument appoint, and different days may be so appointed for different purposes; and any reference in any provision of this Act to the commencement of this Act shall be construed as a reference to the time at which that provision comes into operation.
Propose a changeSCHEDULE 1
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Propose a changeSchedule 2 CONSTITUTION OF JUVENILE COURTS
section 17.
Propose a changeSchedule 3 Minor and Consequential Amendments
Section 64. The Principal Act 1—3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 For subsection (3) of section 18 there shall be substituted the following subsection:— (3) Nothing in this section, or in any byelaw made under this section, shall prevent a child from taking part in a performance— (a) under the authority of a licence granted under this Part of this Act ; or (b) in a case where by virtue of section 37(3) of the Children and Young Persons Act 1963 no licence that section is required for him to take part in the performance. 5 In section 23, for the words “public performance” there shall be substituted the words “performance to which section 37 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1963 applies and”. 6 (1) In subsection (2) of section 24 for the words “petty sessional court” there shall be substituted the words “local authority”. (2) In subsection (4) of that section for the word “court”, in both places where it occurs, there shall be substituted the word “authority”. 7 In the proviso to section 25(1), for the words “Great Britain and Ireland” there shall he substituted the words “the United Kingdom”. 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 In section 28(1) for the words “an entertainment or performance” there shall be substituted the words “a performance”. 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 In section 53(4), for the words “shall return” there shall be substituted the words “may be arrested without warrant by any constable and taken”; and the words from “and if he fails” to the end of the section shall be omitted. 14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 In section 58, for the words “for the detention of the person to whom it relates” there shall be substituted the words “for his detention in that approved school or in such other approved school as the Secretary of State may from time to time determine”. 16—23. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25—27. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The principal Scottish Act 29 (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2) For subsection (3) of that section there shall be substituted the following subsection:— (3) Nothing in this section or in any byelaw made under this section shall prevent a child from taking part in a performance— (a) under the authority of a licence granted under this Part of this Act ; or (b) in a case where by virtue of section 37(3) of the Children and Young Persons Act 1963 no licence under that section is required for him to take part in the performance. 30 In section 33, for the words “public performance” there shall be substituted the words “performance to which section 37 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1963 applies and”. 31 In section 36(1), for the words “an entertainment or performance” there shall be substituted the words “a performance”. 32 In section 38(3), for the words “The said provisions” there shall be substituted the words “The provisions of this Part of this Act relating to employment”. 33—36. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Children Act 1948 38 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1949 45 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48, 49. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . the Criminal Justice Act 1961 50 (1) In subsection (1) of section 29, after the words “or remand home” there shall be inserted the words “special reception centre or other place of safety”. (2) In subsection (2) of that section, after the words “taken back to the prison or other institution” there shall be added the words “or place”. (3) At the end of the section there shall be added the following subsection:— (3) In this section “special reception centre” has the same meaning as in the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 and “place of safety” has— (a) in relation to England and Wales, the same meaning as in that Act ; and (b) in relation to Scotland, the same meaning as in the Children and Young Persons (Scotland) Act 1937; and (c) in relation to Northern Ireland, the same meaning as in the Children and Young Persons Act (Northern Ireland) 1950. 51 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Propose a changeSCHEDULE 4
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Propose a changeSCHEDULE 5
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Propose a change