Amendments
December 2025
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
Information has been added into Section, What is County Lines Offending? And additional guidance in Further Information |
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October 2025
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
This chapter has been refreshed. |
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August 2025
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
Offending and Anti-Social Behaviour – Guidance on When to Involve the Police |
This chapter has been updated with information from the Youth Justice Charter - know your rights in the youth justice system. The Youth Justice Charter sets out what children can expect at each stage of the youth justice system — helping them understand who does what, what their rights are, and what to do if the standards are not met. |
June 2025
| Updated Chapters | |
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Section 2, Home Remedies has been amended to include the increasing advisory role pharmacists play re over the counter medication. |
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April 2025
| Updated Chapters | |
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A new Section 3, Child Financial Exploitation has been added. |
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Archive
November 2024
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
| Smoking | A link has been added to Young People and Vaping (NHS). |
| Recognising Abuse and Neglect | Amendments have been made to the definition of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in line with further revisions to Working Together to Safeguard Children. |
| Internet, Photographs and Mobile Phones | Information in relation to sexually coerced extortion has been added into Section 3, Risks. |
October 2024
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
| Recruitment, Assessment and Approval of Foster Carers | This chapter has been updated to add information in relation to Ofsted checks. |
| Child Criminal Exploitation and County Lines | This chapter has been refreshed. |
| Health and Safety in the Foster Home | Information has been added into Section 8, Accommodation, Bedroom Space and Sharing in relation to bunk beds. |
July 2024
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
| Positive Relationships and Behaviour Support | This chapter has been refreshed. |
| Safeguarding Children from Radicalisation and Extremism | This chapter has been updated to reflect updated Prevent duty statutory guidance. |
May 2024
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
| Recruitment, Assessment and Approval of Foster Carers | Information has been added to Section 5, Checks, with details on how to request information about an applicant from Ofsted. |
April 2024
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
| Staffing and Safe Recruitment of Staff | Additional good practice information has been added on the checking of employment history and references. |
March 2024
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
| Recognising Abuse and Neglect | Definitions have been updated in line with revised Working Together to Safeguard Children. |
| Child Criminal Exploitation and County Lines | Minor amendments have been made to definitions in line with Working Together to Safeguard Children. |
February 2024
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
| Alcohol, Drugs and Solvents | Information has been added to reflect the reclassification of nitrous oxide as a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (as amended. |
| Smoking | This chapter has been refreshed. |
| Assessment of Pets | Section 3.1, Assessment of Dogs has been updated to include XL Bully as a banned breed of dog under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (as amended). |
October 2023
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
| Female Genital Mutilation | A new section has been added on Other Harmful Practices. The Health and Care Act 2022 has made it illegal to carry out, offer or aid and abet virginity testing or hymenoplasty in any part of the UK. It is also illegal for UK nationals and residents to do these things outside the UK. Information has also been added on Breast Flattening which is an offence as set out in CPS So-Called Honour-Based Abuse Legal Guidance. |
September 2023
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
| Leadership and Management | Section 2, Fitness to Provide or Manage the Administration of a Fostering Service has been updated in line with updated Ofsted Guidance - Social Care Common Inspection Framework: Independent Fostering Agencies. |
August 2023
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
| Internet, Photographs and Mobile Phones | This chapter has been refreshed and additional links have been added in Relevant Guidance. |
February 2023
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
| Managing Allegations Against Staff and Foster Carers | This chapter has been amended in line with revised Keeping Children Safe in Education. A new Section 2, The Difference Between an Allegation of Harm and a Concern has also been added. |
| Staffing and Safe Recruitment of Staff | This chapter has been amended in line with revised statutory guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education. Information has been added to note that Keeping Children Safe in Education provides that copies of a curriculum vitae should only be accepted alongside an application form as a curriculum vitae on its own may not provide adequate information. Information in relation to online searches has also been added. |
| Health Care Assessments and Plans | Information in relation to allergies has been added into Section 4, Health Plans. |
| Medication and First Aid | A new Section 4, Allergies has been added. |
| Health and Safety in the Foster Home | Information in relation to allergies has been added into Section 6, Diet, Nutrition and Allergies. |
| New Chapters and Features | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
| Supporting Children and Young People with Disabilities | This chapter has been added. |
November 2022
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
| Positive Relationships and Behaviour Management | This chapter has been amended to incorporate Ofsted feedback. Additional information has been added into Section 2, Positive Behaviour Support and Section 5.4, Recording of Sanctions. |
October 2022
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
| Restrictive Physical Intervention and Restraint | This chapter has been refreshed. |
| Self-harm and Suicidal Behaviour | This chapter has been updated to include information from Self-harm: Assessment, Management and Preventing Recurrence NICE Guidance. |
July 2022
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
| Equality and Diversity | Section 1, Equality and Diversity for Children and Young People has been updated. |
| Internet, Photographs and Mobile Phones | Links added to the Relevant Guidance section. |
| Health and Safety in the Foster Home | Section 9, Reducing the Risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome has been updated. |
June 2022
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
| Contact with Parents, Siblings and Others | Section 5, Supervised Contact has been updated to reflect a finding by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman that the supervisor's observations of the contact must be clearly recorded in the child's record and shared with the parents within 3 months of the visit. |
March 2022
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
| Health Care Assessments and Plans | A link to 'Who Pays?' has been added. It provides information on which NHS Commissioner is responsible for making payment to a provider. |
| Internet, Photographs and Mobile Phones | A link to 'Talking to Your Child About Online Sexual Harassment' (Children's Commissioner) has been added. |
February 2022
This procedures manual has been significantly updated throughout. |
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January 2022
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
| Internet, Photographs and Mobile Phones | This chapter has been amended to note that creating or sharing explicit images of a child is illegal, even if the person doing it is a child. Also, Section 69 Domestic Abuse Act 2021 expanded so-called 'revenge porn' to include threats to disclose private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress. Also, a link has been added to the Childnet toolkit to support carers with keeping children safe online. |
| Countering Bullying | This chapter has been amended to reflect Keeping Children Safe in Education Statutory Guidance, the outcome of Ofsted's thematic report, Review of sexual abuse in schools and colleges (June 2021) and the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. See Section 2, Definition of Bullying. |
| Education | This chapter has been amended throughout to reflect Keeping Children Safe in Education Statutory Guidance and the outcome of Ofsted's thematic report, Review of sexual abuse in schools and colleges (June 2021). Please see Section 4, Safeguarding in Schools. Additional material has been added into:
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July 2021
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
| Internet, Photographs and Mobile Phones | Links to the NSPCC Report Remove Tool and the UK Council for Internet Safety (UKCIS) Digital Passport have been added. |
May 2021
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
| Information Sharing and Confidentiality | This chapter has been refreshed throughout and updated as required. |
March 2021
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
| Safeguarding Children and Young People from Sexual Exploitation | This chapter has been refreshed throughout and updated as required. |
January 2021
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
| Education | This chapter has been refreshed throughout and updated as required. |
October 2020
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
| Review and Termination of Approval of Foster Carers | A revised link has been added to GOV.UK, Prepare for a review panel: adopters and foster carers. |
July 2020
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
| Complaints | This chapter has been updated to reflect the role of an advocate. |
June 2020
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
| Notifications of Significant Events | This chapter has been refreshed throughout and updated as required. |
February 2020
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
| Supervision, Support and Training of Staff and Foster Carers | This chapter has been updated to add detail in relation to the foster carer's role and responsibilities with respect to the Fostering National Minimum Standards – Notification of Significant Events and relevant aspects of Schedule 6 The Fostering Services (England) Regulation 2011. |
| Managing Allegations Against Staff and Foster Carers | This chapter has been refreshed throughout and updated as required. |
October 2019
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
Reviews and Meetings |
This chapter has been updated. |
July 2019
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
Review and Termination of Approval of Foster Carers |
A link to 'Information about the IRM for Foster Carers' has been added into Section 6, Representations / Independent Review Procedure. |
Notifications of Significant Events |
This chapter has been reviewed throughout and updated as required. |
Preparing Young People for Adulthood |
Section 2, Leaving Care has been updated. |
May 2019
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
Recruitment, Assessment and Approval of Foster Carers |
This chapter has been reviewed throughout and updated as required. Information has been added in relation to the Disclosure and Barring Service Update Service. |
April 2019
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
Information Sharing and Confidentiality |
This guidance has been reviewed and updated throughout to reflect the revised DfE Information Sharing Advice for Practitioners Providing Safeguarding Services to Children, Young People, Parents and Carers. |
February 2019
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
Safeguarding Children and Young People |
This chapter has been reviewed throughout and updated as required. Information has been added in relation to seeking parents' permission before discussing referral about them. |
December 2018
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
Recruitment, Assessment and Approval of Foster Carers |
Information on the application process for criminal record checks for someone from overseas has been updated in Section 3, Checks. |
November 2018
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
Education |
This chapter has been refreshed. |
June 2018
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
Education |
This chapter has been updated to reflect amendments introduced by the Children and Social Work Act 2017. A new Section 4, Safeguarding in Schools has been incorporated. |
June 2018
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
Policies, Values and Principles |
This guidance has been reviewed and updated to reflect the publication of the EU General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. |
Recording Policy and Guidelines |
This guidance has been reviewed and updated to reflect the publication of the EU General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. |
Information Sharing and Confidentiality Sharing |
This guidance has been reviewed and updated to reflect the publication of the EU General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. |
Access to Records |
This guidance has been reviewed and updated to reflect the publication of the EU General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. |
March 2018
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
Supervision, Support and Training of Staff and Foster Carers |
Section 5, Tasks of Supervising Social Worker if Allegations are made Against the Foster Carer has been added. |
Safeguarding Children and Young People |
Section 1, Introduction and Definitions of Significant Harm has been updated to reflect sometimes 'significant harm' refers to harm caused by one child to another (which may be a single event or a range of ill treatment), which is generally referred to as 'peer on peer abuse.' |
Reviews and Meetings |
Section 2, Looked After Reviews has been updated to reflect circumstances when they may be convened. |
Safeguarding Children and Young People from Sexual Exploitation |
A link has been added to the Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme in Section 8, Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme. |
Medication and First Aid |
Section 5, Medical Emergencies has been updated to reflect that before assistance arrives do not move the person other than to remove them from immediate danger or place them into the recovery position. |
Smoking |
Section 4, Electronic Cigarettes (also called e-cigarettes and vaporisers) has been updated with regards to Public Health England - independent expert e-cigarettes evidence review. |
March 2017
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
Whistleblowing |
A link has been added to the NSPCC Whistleblowing Advice Line. |
Safeguarding Children and Young People from Sexual Exploitation |
Section 1, Introduction has been updated to take account of the change of definition in: Child Sexual Exploitation: Definition and Guide for Practitioners (DfE February 2017). |
February 2017
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Details |
Consultation and Participation |
Section 2, Participation of Children and Young People has been added with regards to the resources and commitment required when involving children and young people. Similarly Section 3, The Role of the Manager has been updated with regards to resources and processes to be used. |
Missing Children |
Section 2, Definitions has been updated with a link to the College of Policing's definition of missing and absent. |