Amendments

This chapter has been updated. A link added to the Independent Child Trafficking Guardians Referral Form. In areas where the ICTG service has been implemented, if the social worker considers a child to be a potential victim of modern slavery, they should refer them to the ICTG service by completing the online referral form.

Section 6.1, Placement Options has been updated in relation to placements in ‘other arrangements’. Section 4, Assessment was updated in relation to Age Assessments.

Section 3, Placements in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Guernsey has been updated in line with updated Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations - Volume 2: Care Planning, Placement and Case Review.

This chapter has been revised to reflect the ‘Review of Sexual Abuse in Schools and Colleges (Ofsted)’; updated ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ (see Further Information) and Sexual Harassment in Education – Briefing (House of Parliament Library) (see Section 8.2, Protecting looked after children from sexual harassment and Child-on-Child abuse).

The chapter has also been amended to reflect Promoting the Education of Children with a Social Worker: Virtual School Head Role Extension, June 2021.

This chapter has been updated to add a link to Joint Housing Protocols for Care Leavers: good practice advice (DfE and MHCLG) to support the development of joint protocols that can help local authorities to meet the accommodation needs of care leavers (see Section 4, Housing Protocols for Care leavers).

A new Section 10, Use of Inherent Jurisdiction to Authorise a Placement Involving a Deprivation of Liberty When One or More of the Relevant Criteria Under Section 25 Children Act 1989 are Not Satisfied has been added. 

Contact details have been updated in Section 6, Placements of Children under the age of 13 Years.

This chapter has been updated to reflect changes from the revised Working Together to Safeguard Children. Minor amendments were made to the bullet points in Section 8.1, Child protection policy and procedures.

• Holidays and School Trips in the UK;
• Passports and Holidays / School Trips Outside the UK.

This chapter has been updated to reflect Keeping Children Safe in Education 2019 which replaces the 2018 version. Section 8, Safeguarding the Looked After Child at School was amended to include reference to Upskirting (which is now a criminal offence) and serious violence.

This chapter provides guidance on the storage of personal data (including photographs) on mobile devices. ‘Personal data’ is any information about an identifiable living individual.

This chapter has been updated to reference and note the Family Court Justice Interim Guidance on Special Guardianship, Courts and Tribunals Judiciary (May 2019).

Amendments have been made in:

• Section 5, Leaving Care Assessment of Need - in relation to children who are victims of trafficking or unaccompanied asylum seeking children;
• Section 7, Reviews of Pathway Plans - in relation to Relevant/Former Relevant young people moving to 'unregulated' accommodation; and
• Section 8, Personal Advisers - in relation to frequency of visits by Personal Advisers.

This chapter has been amended to remove references to the Adoption Register.

This chapter has been updated in line with the Children and Social Work Act 2017 and revised statutory guidance.

This chapter has been updated in line with the Children and Social Work Act 2017 and revised statutory guidance which require schools, through the designated teacher, to provide support to Previously Looked After Children.

Links has been added to:

• Raising Concerns at Work;
• Whistleblowing Helpline - Speak Up;
• Public Concern at Work.

This chapter has been amended to emphasise ‘procedural fairness’ as a key aspect of the adoption planning process in respect of ensuring parents are provided with information throughout, including the dates of placement/proposed changes of a child’s status, etc. This follows the outcome of a judicial review.

Section 1, Planning for Permanence has been updated to reflect section 9 Children and Social Work Act 2017. Whenever a court or adoption agency is coming to a decision relating to the adoption of a child, an additional consideration is added by of the relationship which the child has with any person who is a prospective adopter with whom the child is placed.

A link has been added to this resource.

A link has been added to this resource.

This chapter has been updated to take account of DfE Inter-country Adoption and Resident Status Requirements, which set out the minimum requirements. However entry clearance requirements vary depending upon the circumstances of each case and prospective adopters will need to obtain their own independent legal advice to establish the requirements that apply to their individual circumstances.

In Section 4, Formal Approval, a link has been added to Inter-country Adoption: Means Test Form which contains information on how to apply for a fee reduction for people who wish to adopt a child from overseas and who earn £45,000 per year or less.

In Section 12, After Approval information has been added on the Inter-country Adoption Forms: Checklist for Adoption which details the paperwork adoption agencies must include in the inter-country adoption applications they submit to DfE.

This chapter has been extensively amended and now includes new/enhanced sections on 'Applications for Secure Accommodation'; 'Children to Whom Section 25 Applies', (including the issues of children aged 16 years and Section 20 Accommodation); 'Placements for Children aged under 13 years' and 'Support, Monitoring and Ending of Placements' etc.

It has also been updated to reflect the complex cross-border legal issues when children from England are placed in Secure Units in Scotland.

New keywords relating to the Modern Slavery Act 2015 have been added:

• Child Trafficking Advocate Slavery;
• Trafficking Prevention Order Slavery; and
• Trafficking Risk Order.

Minor amendments have been made in Section 1, Responding to Initial Enquiries and Section 6, Assessment - Stage Two, in line with local practice.

A link has been added to the Documents Library, where you will find supplementary local information such as forms.

Details have been amended for:

• Designated Manager (Adoption Panel Appointments);
• Designated Manager (Adoption Support);
• Designated Manager (Leaving Care);
• Designated Manager (Marriage);
• Designated Manager (Placement Orders).

This chapter has been updated in line with Looked-after Children: Contact with Siblings - Update to Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations Volume 2: Care Planning, Placement and Case Review.

This replaces the previous chapter on Placements with Family and Friends / Connected Persons (Regulation 24). Appendices have been added:

• Family and Friends Regulation 24 Report;
• Family and Friends Viability Study;
• Screening Tool for Viability Assessments of Family and Friends Carers;
• Viability Request Form.

This chapter has been updated to include the following information:

Minutes of the Looked After Review which recommended the child's placement can be taken as a written record of the consultation with those in attendance.

A 'Working Agreement' should be completed by the practitioner with the parents to clarify the expectations of the parent(s) and ensure the child is safeguarded and their needs are met during this temporary phase before the Statutory Review.

This chapter has been updated in line with statutory guidance Looked-after Children: Contact with Siblings - Update to Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations Volume 2: Care Planning, Placement and Case Review.

This chapter has been updated in line with statutory guidance The Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations Volume 3: Planning Transition to Adulthood for Care Leavers (DfE), which has been further revised in January 2015. This statutory guidance has been subject to several recent government revisions, and it is recommended that this chapter is re-read in its entirety.

A link has been added to the Fostering Network Transfer of Foster Carers Protocol England (2014). This recommends the good practice guidelines to be followed when an approved foster carer wishes to transfer from one fostering service to another.

This chapter has been updated throughout, and should be re-read.

A link has been added to guidance on Cases with a Foreign Element, in the Greater Manchester Safeguarding procedures. It includes:

Working with Foreign Authorities: Child Protection Cases and Care Orders - Departmental Advice for Local Authorities, Social Workers, Service Managers and Children's Services Lawyers (July 2014);

• Accommodation Requests for Young People in Police Custody.

This chapter has been updated throughout in line with new/updated statutory guidance:

• Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions (2014): statutory guidance from the Department for Education;
• Special educational needs and disability code of practice: 0 to 25 years - Statutory guidance for organisations who work with and support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (2014);
• Keeping Children Safe in Education.

This chapter has been updated in line with the Children and Families Act 2014 and the overall aim of speeding up the adoption process. The chapter has been updated throughout and should be re-read. Information has been added in relation to:

• Fostering for Adoption (Sections 1 and 5.4);
• Adoption Register (Section 9);
• Duty to provide information on adoption support services (Sections 1 and 2);
• Ethnicity (Section 15.3).

This chapter has been updated in line with the Children and Families Act 2014, and the overall aim of speeding up the adoption process. The chapter has been updated throughout and should be re-read. The main changes are in relation to:

• The duty to consider Fostering for Adoption placements;
• The removal of the requirement to give due consideration to a child's religious persuasion, racial origin and cultural and linguistic background when matching a child and prospective adopters;
• Post-adoption contact;
• Placing of siblings.