Amendments

This chapter was refreshed in December 2024.

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

This chapter was updated in December 2024, to reflect revised Working Together to Safeguard Children.

In December 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.

This chapter was refreshed in December 2024.

In December 2024, 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 updated in December 2024, to reflect Championing Kinship Care: The National Kinship Care Strategy. 

In December 2024, links to national guidance were updated.

This chapter was updated in December 2024, to reflect revised Working Together to Safeguard Children.

In December 2024, information on Ofsted checks was added in to Section 5.1, Checks.

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

This chapter was added to the procedures manual in December 2024.

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

This chapter was refreshed in December 2024.

This chapter was updated in December 2024, to reflect revised Working Together to Safeguard Children.

In December 2024, links to further guidance were updated.

This chapter was refreshed in December 2024.

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

This chapter was refreshed in December 2024.

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

In June 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 updated in June 2024.

In June 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 added to chapter Family Networks and Family Group Decision Making.

This chapter was updated in June 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.

This chapter was updated in June 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 procedure on Death or Serious Injury to a Child (Looked After, Child in Need or Care Leaver Up to and Including the Age of 24).

In June 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 June 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.