Quick Guide |
November 2011
AMENDMENTS
The changes in this update are as follows:
Amended chapters:
- Chapter 2.3, Guidance for Safe Recruitment, Selection and Retention for Staff and Volunteers;
- Chapter 4.6, Fabricated or Induced Illness;
- Chapter 6.5, Safeguarding Children who may have been Trafficked;
- Chapter 6.13, Female Genital Mutilation;
- Chapter 10.2, Joint Protocol for Reporting Missing Children and Young People (West Mercia Police and the West Mercia local authorities).
New chapters:
Local procedures - Shropshire's Safeguarding Children Board:
Local procedures - Worcestershire Safeguarding Children Board:
- Worcestershire Forum Against Domestic Abuse – Inter Agency Guidance for dealing with Concerns of Domestic Abuse (2011);
- Worcestershire Joint Working Protocol – Safeguarding Children and Young People whose Parents/Carers use Drugs/Alcohol;
- Worcestershire Safeguarding Children Board Guidance for drafting Hospital Birth Plans and Coordinated Support Plans for Unborn Babies;
- Worcestershire Safeguarding Children Board Guidance for Agencies undertaking Individual Management Reviews;
- Worcestershire Safeguarding Children Board Serious Case Reviews Information for Professionals Revised;
- Worcestershire Core Group Working: Information for Professionals Revised.
Local procedures - Herefordshire Safeguarding Children Board:
- Herefordshire Multi Agency Referral Form;
- Standards and Guidance for Multi Agency Referrals to Children’s Social Care;
- Children in Need – Policy, Principles and Guidance;
- Herefordshire Levels of Need and Service Response Guidance;
- Managing Allegations Against Professionals (LADO) Policy and Procedure;
- Practice Guidance – Working with Resistant, Violent and Aggressive Families.
This 'Quick Guide' must be read before accessing the body of the manual.
Contents
- Display and Browser Options
- Structure of the Manual
- Amendments
- How to find a Chapter
- Terminology
- Keywords
- Compliance
- Contact us
- Copyright
- Printing and Retaining Copies
1. Display and Browser Options
People with a visual impairment may have difficulty accessing this Manual.
To change the size of the text/layout - please use these accessibility buttons
which are on menu bar on the left side of every screen. Click a larger button to increase your text size, the very largest being high visibility mode.
2. Structure of the Manual
This manual contains the policies, procedures and guidance for the Safeguarding Children Boards of Herefordshire, Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and Worcestershire; these Boards form the West Mercia Consortium.
In this manual, the underpinning Principles and Values of the West Mercia Consortium are located in one Chapter, which users are required to familiarise themselves with before proceeding to the main body of the Manual. They are located in a Chapter called 'Values' - available from the left hand side of the screen.
3. Amendments
Where the manual has been updated, if a Chapter has been significantly amended or is new, it will be indicated in the Contents List and at the top of the relevant Chapter.
A list of the changes included in this update is at the top of this quick guide. The manual is updated on a regular basis. The next update will be published in April 2012 and a planning meeting will take place in January 2012.
If you wish any amendments or additions to be included in an update, please send the information to the following:
If in Herefordshire, to Lisa Beavan - lisabeavan@herefordshire.gov.uk
If in Shropshire, to Steve Ladd - steve.ladd@shropshire.gov.uk
In Telford and Wrekin, to Karen Perry - Karen.Perry2@telford.gov.uk
If in Worcestershire, to Sue Haddon - SHaddon@worcestershire.gov.uk
4. How to find a chapter
Procedures and guidance are located in individual 'Chapters' which are available from a 'traditional' Contents List - on the left hand side of the screen.
4.1 Using the Contents List
Chapters are categorised or grouped together as follows:
PARTS: The manual contains procedures categorised under a number of Parts, like 'Children in Specific Circumstances - Additional Procedures',
CHAPTERS: Under each Part, you'll find individual Chapters/Procedures e.g. 'Anti Bullying
4.2 You can search for a Chapter
If you are not sure which service or section to look in, try 'Search' which will help you identify specific Chapters and sub headings within Chapters.
5. Terminology
We believe it is crucial to use consistent terminology, which we agree with individual customers, for example:
| 'Child' or 'Young Person' | both these terms are used to mean any child under the age of 18 |
| 'Parent' | includes any person with Parental Responsibility |
| 'Regulatory Authority' | Regulatory Authority is the generic term used in this manual to describe the independent regulatory body responsible for inspecting and regulating services e.g. Ofsted. |
6. Keywords
The manual is accessed by practitioners from varying agencies, who may find terms that they are not familiar with. Therefore, a large glossary (Keywords) of terms such as Significant Harm (Try it: click on the highlighted text). We call them 'Keywords'. Once clicked, the definitions will appear in a new window or tab, depending on your browser. You can leave it open for reference, or close it using the "close" button at the bottom.
Many Keywords are highlighted in the body of procedures, but you can search for the Keyword you need: Go to the Keywords Index, on the left hand side of the screen.
7. Compliance
7.1 Regulatory Compliance
Every effort has been taken to ensure regulatory compliance. If you discover any errors or mistakes, please alert your manager or contact us.
7.2 W3C Compliance
This manual meets the double A Standards of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), for example, it can be accessed by people with high levels of visual impairment. To find out more, click on 'Display Options' on the left hand side of the screen.
8. Contact us
If you have any comments or suggestions to make about this manual please contact us by using the button on the left hand side of the screen, from anywhere within the manual.
9. Copyright
The content of this website can be accessed, printed and downloaded in an unaltered form, on a temporary basis, for personal study or reference purposes. However any content printed or downloaded may not be sold, licensed, transferred, copied or reproduced in whole or in part in any manner or in or on any media to any person without the prior written consent of Tri-X-Childcare Ltd and the four constituent Safeguarding Children Boards of the West Mercia Consortium.
10. Printing and Retaining Copies
The Manual should normally be viewed on line but can be printed, for reference only.
To print a chapter, click on the 
icon which is in the top right hand corner of the relevant procedure
Please note that, the Manual will be updated regularly, so staff should avoid retaining printed versions - hard copies are only valid for 72 hours.
End