Amendments

This chapter was added to the manual in October 2024.

This chapter was refreshed in October 2024.

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

This chapter was refreshed in October 2024.

This chapter was added to the manual in October 2024.

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

This chapter was refreshed in October 2024.

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

In October 2024, Section 10, Use of Inherent Jurisdiction to Authorise a Placement Involving a Deprivation of Liberty was updated 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.

This chapter was refreshed in October 2024.

In October 2024, Section 15, Resolving Disagreements was updated to include information on Guidance: Carry Out an Order in Special Educational Needs Cases.

In October 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.

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

This chapter was updated in October 2024, and new links added.

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

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

In October 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 refreshed in October 2024.

In October 2024, this chapter was refreshed throughout.

In October 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 updated in October 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.

This chapter was amended in April 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.

In Section 15, Resolving Disagreements was updated to include information on Guidance: Carry Out an Order in Special Educational Needs Cases.

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

In April 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.

This chapter was refreshed in April 2024.

In April 2024, Section 10, Use of Inherent Jurisdiction to Authorise a Placement Involving a was updated 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.

This chapter was updated in April 2024, to reflect updated Ofsted guidance.

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

In April 2024, Amendments have been made.

In October 2023, information in relation to allergies was added into Section 6, Diet, Nutrition and Allergies.
A new Section 7, Online  Safety was also added.

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

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

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

Section 5.2.5, Providing Support was updated in October 2023 to reflect the Home Office increase in financial support to individuals waiting to find out if they will be given asylum in the UK.

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

This chapter was updated in October 2023.

This chapter was updated in October 2023. Information in relation to legal aid for foster carers and prospective adoptive parents in First Tier Tribunal appeals. It was also updated to include information from Guidance: Area SEND Inspections Framework and Handbook (November 2022) was added into Section 15, Resolving Disagreements.  

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

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

This chapter was amended in October 2023. A link to 'Self-harm: Assessment, Management and Preventing Recurrence NICE Guidance' was added into Further Information.

In October 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.
Section 8, Court Hearings was also updated in line with A View From the President's Chambers: Relaunching the PLO (November 2022), and that section should be re-read.
In Relevant Guidance, a link was added to Pre-proceedings and Family Justice Hub (Research in Practice).

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

This chapter was amended in October 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 October 2023, this chapter was refreshed and a link was added to 'National Early Permanence Practice Standards (Coram Centre for Early Permanence)'. 

In October 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 also added.

In October 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 also added.

In October 2023, this chapter was updated to reflect the updated Public Law Working Group Best Practice Guidance. This includes the new interim guidance, issued by the President of the Family Division, that addresses the lawful extension of care proceedings beyond 26 weeks. Section 6.3, Placement before a Special Guardianship Order (SGO) is Granted was added in line with guidance that states where there is no pre-existing relationship between the child and special guardians the child should be placed on an interim basis before the special guardianship order is made. 

This chapter was amended in October 2023 to incorporate Ofsted feedback. Additional information was added into Section 2, Positive Behaviour Support and Section 5.4, Recording of Consequences.