Amendments

• Life Story Work and Preparation for Adoption.

This chapter has been updated. Section 10, Use of Inherent Jurisdiction to Authorise a Placement Involving a Deprivation of Liberty has been updated in line with case law.

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.

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

• Young Persons Guide to Children and Families Act 2014.

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 has been amended to include reference to Upskirting (which is now a criminal offence) and serious violence.

• Stockport Family First Response Protocol.

This chapter has been updated. 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.

• Stockport Family Early Intervention and Safeguarding System (E.I.S) Plans;
• Chronology Guidance - Guidance for Using the EIS Chronology V2.

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

These changes relate to the status of ‘previously looked after children’.

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 have been added to:

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

• Procedure for Updating this Manual.

• Agreement about how Local Authorities and Cafcass can Work Effectively in a Set of Care Proceedings and Pre-Proceedings in the English Family Courts;
• Process for Assessing 16+ Semi-Independent Provisions.

This chapter has been updated to clarify the level of parental responsibility extended to the Special Guardian. Further detail has been added with regard to who may apply for Special Guardianship.

This chapter has been updated.

Updated:

• Designated Allegations Manager (Adoption);
• Designated Allegations Manager (Fostering);
• Independent Review Unit;
• Fostering Service.

The aim of this document is to clarify the role of the Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) in monitoring and chairing families within the Team around the Child (TAC) process. This would specifically include:

1. TAC Meetings that have stepped down from the Child Protection process;
2. Post Discharge Review Meetings after the child has returned back to their family from Section 20 Accommodation.

This Protocol provides an overview of the Stockport Family First Response Team as follows:

1. Management arrangements;
2. Workflow process;
3. Child Protection referral form;
4. Outcomes;
5. Escalation;
6. Quality assurance.

This team will provide awareness raising, training and consultation across Stockport to build the knowledge and skills of colleagues across both children’s and adults’ workforce in the areas of complex safeguarding.

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

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

• Protocol for Case Transfers between the Assessment & Prevention, Children and Families Social Work Teams and Leaving Care Team;
• Stockport Families First Panel Terms of Reference.

Updated:

• Children and Young People with Disabilities Team;
• Children’s Rights Service;
• Designated Allegations Manager (Fostering);
• Fostering Service;
• Placement Officer/Manager.

This chapter has been updated to include the requirements of the The Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations - Volume 2: Care Planning, Placement and Case Review.

Amended:

• Designated Allegations Manager (Adoption);
• Designated Allegations Manager (Fostering);
• Fostering Service.

Amended:

• Designated Manager (Placement Orders);
• Designated Manager (Fostering Panel Appointments);
• Designated Manager (Exemptions and Extensions from Fostering Limit);
• Designated Manager (Adoption Support);
• Designated Manager (Adoption Panel Appointments).

This policy refers to the placement of young parents and their babies in parent and baby foster care. This may be:

• When a young person who is Looked After by the Local Authority and who is under the age of 18 has a baby;
• When a young person under the age of 18 who is not Looked After by the Local Authority has a baby and there are child protection concerns;
• In some instances, where a young woman, age 18 or older, has a baby and there are child protection concerns.

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 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.

Updated:

• Children's Social Care –Referrals;
• Designated Allegations Manager (Adoption);
• Designated Allegations Manager (Fostering);
• Independent Review Unit;
• Fostering Service;
• Placement Officer/Manager.

Updated:

• Designated Manager (Adoption Panel Appointments);
• Designated Manager (Adoption Support);
• Designated Manager (Care Proceedings);
• Designated Manager (Exemptions and Extensions from Fostering Limit);
• Designated Manager (External Placements);
• Designated Manager (Fostering Panel Appointments);
• Designated Manager (Passports);
• Nominated Officer (Placements in Residential Care).

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)

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.