Amendments

This chapter was revised in May 2025, in line with How Local Authorities and Children's Homes Can Achieve Stability and Permanence for Children with Complex Needs (Ofsted).

In May 2025, this chapter was revised in line with Working Together to Safeguard Children.

This chapter was revised in May 2025.

In May 2025, this chapter was added to the manual.

In May 2025, 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 chapter Family Networks and Family Group Decision Making.

This chapter was revised in May 2025.

In May 2025, information was added in relation to Ofsted and CQC Joint Registration Guidance: Children's Homes and Health Care.

This chapter was revised in May 2025, to include additional information on personal budgets.

In May 2025, amendments were made in line with the revised working together to Safeguard children.

This chapter was added to the manual in May 2025.

In May 2025, 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 May 2025, Section 15, Resolving Disagreements was updated to include information on Guidance: Carry Out an Order in Special Educational Needs Cases. Section 15.1, Registering an appeal with the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Disability) was updated in line with case law.

In May 2025, a link was added in Section 4, Age Assessment to BASW Age Assessment Practice Guidance. In Further Information, links to sources of further information were updated.

This chapter was revised in May 2025, in line with the revised working together to Safeguard children.

This chapter was previously entitled family and friends care and was updated in May 2025 in the light of government guidance and Championing Kinship Care: The National Kinship Care strategy. 

This chapter was revised in May 2025, in line with the revised working together to Safeguard children.

This chapter was updated in May 2025, to include a link to the Disclosure and Barring Service Guidance Leaflets - GOV.UK. in Section 4.5, Concluding the Investigation. 

In May 2025, 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 May 2025. 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 May 2025, links were added to additional sources of guidance.

This chapter was updated in May 2025, 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 May 2025, Section 4.2, Procedural Fairness was updated in line with case-law.

In May 2025, information was added into Section 9, Accommodation, Bedroom Space and Sharing in relation to bunk beds.

In May 2025, information was added to Section 4, Stage One-The Pre-Assessment Process, with details on how to request information about an applicant from Ofsted. A link to DBS guidance leaflets - GOV.UK was added in the Related Guidance Section.

In May 2025, a link was added to Ofsted and CQC Joint Registration Guidance: Children's Homes and Health Care.

In May 2025, updates were made to reflect the Homelessness Code of Guidance - Chapter 22: Care Leavers (updated 3 May 2024) which sets out the expectation that authorities should have in place joint protocols which clearly outline jointly held corporate parenting responsibilities for care leavers. See Section 8, Joint Housing Protocols for Care Leavers.

This chapter was updated in May 2025, with a link to DBS guidance leaflets - GOV.UK in Section 4.4, Concluding the Investigation.

In May 2025, 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 document was added to the manual in January 2025.