Amendments

In June 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.

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

In June 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.

This chapter was refreshed in June 2024.

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

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. 

This chapter was updated throughout in June 2024 in line with revised 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 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).

This chapter was updated throughout in June 2024 in line with revised Working Together to Safeguard Children.

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 throughout in June 2024 in line with revised Working Together to Safeguard Children.

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

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.

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 has been updated in June 2024.

This chapter was updated in January 2024.

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

In December 2023, 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 December 2023 to add a link to More Home Truths: Learning Lessons from Complaints about the Homelessness Reduction Act (Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

In December 2023, additional information was added into Relevant Guidance.

In December 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.

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

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

This chapter was updated in December 2023.

This chapter was amended in December 2023 to note that with effect from 1 April 2023, the leaving care allowance increased from £2,000 to £3,000. 

In December 2023, Section 2, Ordinary Residence was updated in line with case law.

In December 2023, Section 10, Use of Inherent Jurisdiction to Authorise a Placement Involving a Deprivation of Liberty 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 December 2023 additional information was added in Further Information.

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

In December 2023 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.

This chapter was updated in December 2023.  Information was added into Section 6.2, Special Guardianship Applications in Care Proceedings in relation to timing of assessments.

In December 2023 this chapter was refreshed and a link added (above) to National Early Permanence Practice Standards (Coram Centre for Early Permanence). 

This chapter was added in December 2023.