Under this provision on the length of protective dispositions, what ceiling applies to a disposition's period, and what ceiling to the hours of a social service or attendance order?
General information · Not legal advice
Material to check
In the exercise file we read the written protective disposition to see which listed item it was made under, and for how long, or for how many hours, it was ordered; we also read the record of the child abuse finding that supports it and any time-sheet of hours already performed.
These are types of material to look for, not evidence already verified by PRO SE.
Where readings differ
One reading treats the provision as a hard ceiling on the court's choice: for the protective dispositions listed in the specified items of the provision on protective dispositions, the period may not exceed the maximum the provision sets, and for social service and attendance order the hours may not exceed that maximum 'each', so a disposition is unlawful on its face beyond those limits.
Another reading notes that the provision sets only ceilings: it does not say when the period begins to run, how it is counted or interrupted, what minimum applies, or what follows if a court orders more than the cap allows, so those points must be shown from the rest of the file.
Your judgment
If a protective disposition exceeds the ceiling this provision sets, how should the file show when the excess part began and what should follow from it?
PRO SE does not make this decision or keep a case record on this public site.When to reconsider
We look at this again if an amendment changes the ceilings the provision sets, or if a court decision settles when the period of a protective disposition begins to run or what happens to time served beyond the cap.