Amendments

This chapter was updated in August 2024.

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

This chapter was updated in August 2024.

In August 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 added.

In August 2024, Section 5.2.5, Providing Support was updated to reflect the Home Office increase in financial support to individuals waiting to find out if they will be given asylum in the UK. 

This chapter was updated in August 2024, to reflect Championing Kinship Care: The National Kinship Care strategy. 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 my family and friends in the UK.

In August 2024, Section 15, Resolving Disagreements was updated to include information on Guidance: Carry Out an Order in Special Educational Needs Cases.

This chapter was updated in August 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 August 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.

This chapter was added in August 2024.

This chapter was added to the manual in August 2024.

In August 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 August 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. 

This chapter was refreshed in August 2024.

This chapter was refreshed in August 2024.

In August 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.

In August 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 chapter Family Networks and Family Group Decision Making.

This chapter was updated in August 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.

In February 2024, this chapter was refreshed and a link was added to National Early Permanence Practice Standards (Coram Centre for Early Permanence).

In February 2024, additional information was added about online safety.

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

Section 10, Use of Inherent Jurisdiction to Authorise a Placement Involving a Deprivation of Liberty was updated in February 2024 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.

This chapter was updated in February 2024.

In February 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 February 2024, amendments were made to reflect case-law in relation to assessing legal capacity.

This chapter was updated in February 2024. Information in relation to the National Age Assessment Board was added into Section 4, Assessment.

In February 2024, 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.

This chapter was updated in February 2024.

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

Section 5.2.5, Providing Support was updated in February 2024 to reflect the Home Office increase in financial support to individuals waiting to find out if they will be given asylum in the UK.

This chapter was amended in August 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.

In August 2023, this chapter was updated to reflect the updated Public Law Working Group Best Practice Guidance. This includes the new interim guidance, issued by the President of the Family Division, that addresses the lawful extension of care proceedings beyond 26 weeks. Section 6.3, Placement before a Special Guardianship Order (SGO) is Granted was added in line with guidance that states where there is no pre-existing relationship between the child and special guardians the child should be placed on an interim basis before the special guardianship order is made.

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

This chapter was amended in August 2023 to include a link to 'Self-harm: Assessment, Management and Preventing Recurrence NICE Guidance'. See Further Information.

In August 2023, information in relation to allergies was added into Section 6, Diet, Nutrition and Allergies.

In August 2023, this chapter was amended in line with revised Keeping Children Safe in Education. A new Section 2, The Difference Between an Allegation of Harm and a Concern was also added.

In August 2023, this chapter was updated to include information from Guidance: Area SEND Inspections Framework and Handbook (November 2022). 

Section 4, Section 20 Accommodation was updated in August 2023 in line with case-law.

This chapter was added in August 2023.

This chapter was updated in August 2023.

In August 2023, this chapter was updated to include information from the UK Social Work Practice in Safeguarding Disabled Children and Young People report.

This chapter was updated in March 2023 in line with Local Procedure/Guidance.
In addition, this chapter was amended to include information from Annex to MOJ Circular 2022/03: Additional Information on Remand to Local Authority Accommodation (RLAA).

This chapter was updated in March 2023 in line with Local Procedure/Guidance.
Section 8, Court Hearings was also updated in line with A View From the President's Chambers: Relaunching the PLO (November 2022) and that section should be re-read.
In Relevant Guidance, a link was added to Pre-proceedings and Family Justice Hub (Research in Practice).

This chapter was updated in March 2023 in line with Local Procedure/Guidance.