Amendments

In November 2024, Section 15, Resolving Disagreements was updated to include information on Guidance: Carry Out an Order in Special Educational Needs Cases. In addition, Section 15.1, Registering an appeal with the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Disability) was updated in line with case law.

This chapter was refreshed in November 2024.

This chapter was updated in November 2024.

This chapter was refreshed in November 2024.

In November 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 also added.

This chapter was refreshed in November 2024.

In November 2024, links to sources of further information were updated.

In November 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 refreshed in November 2024.

In November 2024, information was added in relation to Ofsted and CQC Joint Registration Guidance: Children’s Homes and Health Care.

This chapter was added to the manual in November 2024.

In November 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.

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

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

This chapter was updated in November 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.

In November 2024, this chapter was refreshed.

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

In November 2024, a link was added to Ofsted and CQC Joint Registration Guidance: Children’s Homes and Health Care.

This chapter was updated in November 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 PDF document was added to the manual in November 2024.

In November 2024, Section 4.2, Procedural Fairness was updated in line with case-law.

In November 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.

In November 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 May 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 May 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 May 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. It was also updated to include information from Guidance - Placing Children: Deprivation of Liberty Orders (Ofsted)- guidance for providers, social workers and placement commissioners on placing children, subject to a deprivation of liberty order (DoL), in unregistered settings.

In May 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.

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

In May 2024, this chapter was refreshed.

This chapter was refreshed in May 2024.

This chapter was amended in May 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.

This chapter was updated in November 2023. Information in relation to legal aid for foster carers and prospective adoptive parents in First Tier Tribunal appeals was added into Section 15, Resolving Disagreements.

In November 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.

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

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

In November 2023, this chapter was refreshed.

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

Section 5.2.5, Providing Support was updated in November 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 November 2023, this chapter was refreshed and a link added to National Early Permanence Practice Standards (Coram Centre for Early Permanence). 

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

This document was added in November 2023.

This chapter was amended in November 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.

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

In November 2023, information in relation to allergies was added into Section 6, Diet, Nutrition and Allergies. Additional information was also added about online safety.