Commentary on Sections Part 1 .Social Care Chapter 2 .Miscellaneous Amendments in Relation to Social Care Services, Social Care Workers and Local Authority Social Care Functions Section 19 – Fitness to practise cases: powers to extend interim orders
78.Section 19 amends Chapter 4, of Part 6 of the 2016 Act which makes provision in respect of interim orders and review of interim orders in fitness to practise proceedings. Interim orders imposed by the regulator are a means to enable temporary restrictions to be applied to a registered person while investigations are undertaken into fitness to practise allegations made against the person. The amendment provides panel (interim orders panel or fitness to practise panel before which the interim order proceedings are brought) with the power to extend an interim order for up to 18 months in total, removing the need for applications to be made to the First-tier Tribunal for extensions which do not push the total length of the order beyond that limit. An application to the First-tier Tribunal will continue to be required where an interim order is to be extended beyond 18 months (see section 148 of the 2016 Act).