The Children Act 1908 (8 Edw. 7. c. 67), also known as the Children and Young Persons Act 1908, was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed by the Liberal government, as part of the British Liberal Party's liberal reforms package. The act was informally known as the Children's Charter and largely superseded the Industrial Schools Act 1868 (31 & 32 Vict. c. 25).
The act established juvenile courts and introduced the registration for foster care, thus regulating baby farming and wet nursing and trying to stamp out infanticide. Local authorities were also granted powers to keep poor children out of the poorhouse/workhouse and protect them from abuse. The act also prohibited children, under the age of 16, from working in dangerous trades, purchasing cigarettes, entering brothels, or the bars of trading pubs. It also established a minimum execution age of sixteen. That age was raised to 18 in 1933, albeit no juvenile offenders had been executed since 1889.
Additionally, it prohibited the consumption of alcohol for non-medicinal purposes, before the age of five. The act also prohibited children from learning criminal "tricks of the trade" in adult prisons, where children were often sent to serve time if a crime had been committed. Instead the Children's Charter had allocated Borstals. It eventually led to many councils setting up social services and orphanages.
Provisions
Repealed enactments Section 134(3) of the act repealed 38 enactments, listed in the third schedule to the act. CitationShort titleDescriptionExtent of Repeal17 & 18 Vict. c. clxixMiddlesex Industrial Schools Act 1854The Middlesex Industrial Schools Act, 1854.The whole act.29 & 30 Vict. c. 117Reformatory Schools Act 1866The Reformatory Schools Act, 1866.The whole act.29 & 30 Vict. c. 118Industrial Schools Act 1866The Industrial Schools Act, 1866.The whole act.31 & 32 Vict. c. 25Industrial Schools Act (Ireland) 1868The Industrial Schools (Ireland) Act, 1868.The whole act.31 & 32 Vict. c. 59Irish Reformatory Schools Act 1868The Irish Reformatory Schools Act, 1868.The whole Act, except section twenty-five.33 & 34 Vict. c. 75Elementary Education Act 1870The Elementary Education Act, 1870.Sections twenty-seven and twenty-eight. Section fifty-two, so far as it relates to industrial schools.34 & 35 Vict. c. 112Prevention of Crimes Act 1871The Prevention of Crimes Act, 1871.Section fourteen.35 & 36 Vict. c. 21Reformatory and Industrial Schools Acts Amendment Act 1872The Reformatory and Industrial Schools Acts Amendment Act, 1872.The whole act.35 & 36 Vict. c. 62Education (Scotland) Act 1872The Education (Scotland) Act, 1872.Section forty-one.35 & 36 Vict. c. 93Pawnbrokers Act 1872The Pawnbrokers Act, 1872.In section thirty-two the words "to be under the age of twelve years or."36 & 37 Vict. c. 86Elementary Education Act 1873The Elementary Education Act, 1873.Section fourteen.37 & 38 Vict. c. 47Prisons Authorities Act 1874The Prisons Authorities Act, 1874.The whole act.38 & 39 Vict. c. lxxxviiMiddlesex Industrial Schools Act 1875The Middlesex Industrial Schools Act, 1875.The whole act.39 & 40 Vict. c. 79Elementary Education Act 1876The Elementary Education Act, 1876.Section twelve, from "A child shall be sent" to the end of the section. In section thirteen the words "or the Industrial Schools Act, 1866, to an industrial school," and the words "or the Industrial Schools Act, 1866." Section fourteen. Section fifteen. Section sixteen. Section seventeen.40 & 41 Vict. c. 53Prisons (Scotland) Act 1877The Prisons (Scotland) Act, 1877.Section sixty-seven.41 & 42 Vict. c. 40Prisons Authorities Act 1874 Amendment Act 1878The Prisons Authorities Act (1874) Amendment Act, 1878.The whole act.42 & 43 Vict. c. 48Elementary Education (Industrial Schools) Act 1879The Elementary Education (Industrial Schools) Act, 1879.The whole act.42 & 43 Vict. c. 49Summary Jurisdiction Act 1879The Summary Jurisdiction Act, 1879.Subsection (1) of section eleven from the words "and if the young person is a male" to the end of the sub-section. In section fifteen, the words "imprisoned for a longer period than one month nor."43 & 44 Vict. c. 15Industrial Schools Act Amendment Act 1880The Industrial Schools Acts Amendment Act, 1880.The whole act.44 & 45 Vict. c. 29Reformatory Institutions (Ireland) Act 1881The Reformatory Institutions (Ireland) Act, 1881.The whole act.47 & 48 Vict. c. 19Summary Jurisdiction over Children (Ireland) Act 1884The Summary Jurisdiction over Children (Ireland) Act, 1884.Subsection (1) of section five from the words "and if the young person is a male," to end of subsection. In section six the words "imprisoned for a longer period than one month nor."47 & 48 Vict. c. 40Reformatory and Industrial Schools (Manx Children) Act 1884The Reformatory and Industrial Schools (Manx Children) Act, 1884.The whole act.48 & 49 Vict. c. 19Industrial Schools (Ireland) Act 1885The Industrial Schools (Ireland) Act, 1885.The whole act.48 & 49 Vict. c. 69Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885The Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1885.Section four, from "and if, having regard" to "as if he or she had been sworn."54 & 55 Vict. c. 23Reformatory and Industrial Schools Act 1891The Reformatory and Industrial Schools Act, 1891.The whole act.56 & 57 Vict. c. 12Day Industrial Schools (Scotland) Act 1893The Day Industrial Schools (Scotland) Act, 1893.Section three. Section four, from "an order under this section" to the end of the section. Section five. Section six. Section seven. In section eight the words "or under the Industrial Schools Act, 1866." Section nine.56 & 57 Vict. c. 48Reformatory Schools Act 1893The Reformatory Schools Act, 1893.The whole act.57 & 58 Vict. c. 33Industrial Schools Acts Amendment Act 1894The Industrial Schools Acts Amendment Act, 1894.The whole act.58 & 59 Vict. c. 17Reformatory and Industrial Schools (Channel Islands Children) Act 1895The Reformatory and Industrial Schools (Channel Islands Children) Act, 1895.The whole act.60 & 61 Vict. c. 57Infant Life Protection Act 1897The Infant Life Protection Act, 1897.The whole act.62 & 63 Vict. c. 12Reformatory Schools Act 1899The Reformatory Schools Act, 1899.The whole act.63 & 64 Vict. c. 53Elementary Education Act 1900The Elementary Education Act, 1900.Section four.1 Edw. 7 c. 20Youthful Offenders Act 1901The Youthful Offenders Act, 1901.The whole act.2 Edw. 7 c. 42Education Act 1902The Education Act, 1902.Paragraph (8) of the Third Schedule to "Elementary Education Act, 1873, and," and in the same paragraph the words "for the second reference in that section the Education Department and also."4 Edw. 7 c. 15Prevention of Cruelty to Children Act 1904The Prevention of Cruelty to Children Act, 1904.Section one. In section two, paragraph (a). In section four, the words "or any of the offences mentioned in the First Schedule to this Act," and paragraph (b).
Sections five to eleven. In section twelve, the words "or for any of the offences mentioned in the First Schedule to this Act." Section thirteen. Section fourteen. In section fifteen, the words "or for any of the offences mentioned in the First Schedule to this Act." Section sixteen. In section seventeen, the words "or any of the offences mentioned in the First Schedule to this Act." In section eighteen, the words "or any of the offences mentioned in the First Schedule to this Act," and the words "or of an offence mentioned in the First Schedule to this Act," and "or any offence mentioned in the First Schedule to this Act," and subsection (2) from "and may charge him with the offences" to the end of that subsection. Section nineteen, from "or when in the case" to "decision of the court," and the words "or order or decision." Section twenty. Section twenty-one. In section twenty-three, subsection (2). Section twenty-five. Section twenty-six. Section twenty-eight. In section twenty-nine, the definitions of "street," "place of safety," and "Industrial Schools Acts." In section thirty, the words "The Secretary for Scotland shall be substituted for a Secretary of State," and the words from "The expression 'court of summary jurisdiction'" to the end of the section. In section thirty-one, the words "The Chief Secretary shall be substituted for a Secretary of State." The Schedules.4 Edw. 7 c. 27Secretary for Scotland Act 1904The Secretary for Scotland Act, 1904.The whole act.7 Edw. 7 c. 17Probation of Offenders Act 1907The Probation of Offenders Act, 1907.In section one, subsection (3), from "and if the offender" to the end of the subsection. Subsection (4) of section six, from "In the case" to the end of the subsection.8 Edw. 7 c. xxviiEdinburgh Corporation (Tramways, &c.) Order Confirmation Act 1908The Edinburgh Corporation (Tramways, &c.) Order Confirmation Act, 1908.Subsections (1) and (3) of section fifteen of the Schedule.
Subsequent developments Part I of the act was repealed for England and Wales by section 346(1)(b) of, and the fifth part of the third schedule to, the Public Health Act 1936 (26 Geo. 5 & 1 Edw. 8. c. 49).
The whole act was repealed by section 1(1) of, and the first schedule to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1950 (14 Geo. 6. c. 6), which came into force on 23 May 1950.
The whole act was repealed for England and Wales and Scotland by section 40(2) of, and the second schedule to, the Children Act 1958 (6 & 7 Eliz. 2. c. 65), which came into force on 1 April 1959.
The whole act was repealed for Northern Ireland by section 141(2) of, and the seventh schedule to, the Children and Young Persons Act (Northern Ireland) 1950.
The Methodist Insurance Company introduced an insurance policy covering liability for church youth activities in 1911 as a consequence of the passing of the 1908 legislation.Methodist Insurance Company (2022), Dialogue: 150 Years Special Edition, accessed on 11 August 2026
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