Amendments

In December 2024, this chapter was refreshed.

In December 2024, this chapter was refreshed.

This chapter was updated in December 2024 to include the Southend on Sea Sufficiency Strategy.

This chapter was refreshed in December 2024.

This chapter was updated in December 2024 to reflect Championing Kinship Care: The National Kinship Care strategy.

In December 2024, information was added in relation to family group decision-making in Section 1, Introduction and Time Limits and Section 5, Pre-Proceedings. A link was also added to the Family Networks and Family Group Decision Making Procedure.

In December 2024, information was added in relation to Ofsted and CQC Joint Registration Guidance: Children’s Homes and Health Care.

This chapter was refreshed in December 2024.

In December 2024, links to sources of further information were updated.

This chapter was added to the manual in December 2024.

This chapter was refreshed in December 2024.

In December 2024, this chapter was updated in line with Working Together to Safeguard Children, to note that notifications should also be made of the death of a care leaver up to and including the age of 24.

This chapter was refreshed in December 2024.

In December 2024, information was added into Section 3, Stage One – The Pre-Assessment Process, with details on how to request information about an applicant from Ofsted.

In December 2024, a link was added to Ofsted and CQC Joint Registration Guidance: Children’s Homes and Health Care.

This chapter was updated in December 2024. Information that the relevant local authority should be notified if the child was previously a looked after child was added into Section 17, Special Guardian Duty on the Death of the Child.

This chapter was updated in December 2024 to note that if a young person in a Staying Put arrangement dies up to and including the age of 24, notifications should be made in accordance with the Death or Serious Injury to a Child (Looked After, Child in Need or Care Leaver Up to and Including the Age of 24) Procedure.

Section 4.2, Procedural Fairness was updated in December 2024 in line with case-law.

Section 15.1, Registering an appeal with the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Disability) was updated in December 2024 in line with case law.

In December 2024, this chapter was revised in response to Working Together to Safeguard Children (December 2023), and includes the ongoing development of the strategic leadership roles of Virtual School Heads (VSH) in promoting educational outcomes for children aged 0 to 18 who have, or previously had a social worker, and children in kinship care arrangements.

This chapter was updated in December 2024 to include the updated Threshold Document.

In December 2024, information on Ofsted checks was added into Section 5.1, Checks.

This chapter was updated in June 2024.

Section 2, Ordinary Residence was updated in June 2024 in line with case law.

Section 5.2.5, Providing Support was updated in June 2024 to reflect the Home Office increase in financial support to individuals waiting to find out if they will be given asylum in the UK.

Section 4, Different Situations whereby Children may be Living with Family and Friend Carers was updated in June 2024 to include information about Ukrainian children being cared for my family and friends in the UK.

Section 10, Use of Inherent Jurisdiction to Authorise a Placement Involving a Deprivation of Liberty was updated in June 2024 throughout in line with Revised Practice Guidance on the Court's Approach to Unregistered Placements (October 2023) and Revised National Listing Protocol for Applications that Seek Deprivation of Liberty Orders Relating to Children under the Inherent Jurisdiction.

In June 2024, this chapter was revised in line with Working Together to Safeguard Children.

In June 2024, a link was added in Section 4, Age Assessment to BASW Age Assessment Practice Guidance. In Further Information, a link was added to Operation Innerste Process: Caseworker Guidance.

In June 2024, this chapter was updated in line with Working Together to Safeguard Children. New Section 3, Death of a Care Leaver Up to and Including the Age of 24 was added.

This chapter was refreshed in June 2024.

This chapter was amended in June 2024 to include information from Special Educational Needs and Disability: Improving Local Authority Decision Making - Report of the Administrative Justice Council's Working Group on Special Educational Needs and Disability. Section 15, Resolving Disagreements was also updated to include information on Guidance: Carry Out an Order in Special Educational Needs Cases. 

Section 10, Use of Inherent Jurisdiction to Authorise a Placement Involving a Deprivation of Liberty was updated in December 2023 to include information from Guidance - Placing Children: Deprivation of Liberty Orders - guidance for providers, social workers and placement commissioners on placing children, subject to a deprivation of liberty order (DoL), in unregistered settings and President of the Family Division Practice Guidance: Placements in Unregistered Children's Homes in England or Unregistered Care Home Services in Wales.

In December 2023, information was added into Section 4, Care Orders and Supervisions Orders on a Care Plan of the Child Remaining at Home in relation to Supervision Orders, in line with Public Law Working Group (PLWG) Recommendations to Achieve Best Practice in the Child Protection and Family Justice Systems: Supervision Orders.

In December 2023, this chapter was updated to include information from Guidance - Placing Children: Deprivation of Liberty Orders - guidance for providers, social workers and placement commissioners on placing children, subject to a deprivation of liberty order (DoL), in unregistered settings and President of the Family Division Practice Guidance: Placements in Unregistered Children's Homes in England or Unregistered Care Home Services in Wales.

In December 2023, amendments were made to reflect case-law in relation to assessing legal capacity.

In December 2023, this chapter was refreshed and a link added to National Early Permanence Practice Standards (Coram Centre for Early Permanence). 

This chapter was added to the manual in December 2023.

This chapter was updated in December 2023. Information in relation to the National Age Assessment Board was added into Section 4, Assessment.

This chapter was refreshed in December 2023.

This chapter was updated in December 2023. Information was added into Section 15, Resolving Disagreements in relation to legal aid for foster carers and prospective adoptive parents in First Tier Tribunal appeals.

In December 2023, this chapter was updated to include a link to the President of the Family Division Practice Guidance: Placements in Unregistered Children's Homes in England or Unregistered Care Home Services in Wales. See Related Guidance. 

In December 2023, additional information was added about online safety.

In June 2023, this chapter was amended to include information from Annex to MOJ Circular 2022/03: Additional Information on Remand to Local Authority Accommodation (RLAA).

In June 2023, this protocol was added.

This chapter was revised in June 2023 to include information from the revised Ofsted inspection framework and to note that with effect from 1 April 2023, the leaving care allowance increased from £2,000 to £3,000.

This chapter was updated in June 2023.

Section 3, Section 20 Accommodation was updated in June 2023 in line with case-law.

In June 2023, this chapter was updated to include information from Guidance: Area SEND Inspections Framework and Handbook (November 2022). A link to Southend on Sea's Local Offer was also added into Section 3, Local Offer.

This chapter was amended in June 2023 to reflect that the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022 raised the age of marriage and civil partnership to 18 in England and Wales, with effect from 26 February 2023.

In June 2023, this chapter was amended in line with revised Keeping Children Safe in Education. A new Section 2, The Difference Between an Allegation of Harm and a Concern was added.

In June 2023, this chapter was updated to include information from the UK Social Work Practice in Safeguarding Disabled Children and Young People report.

In June 2023, information in relation to allergies was added into Section 4, Health Plans.