Amendments

June 2019

Updated Chapters
Chapter Title	Details
Care and Supervision Proceedings and the Public Law Outline	This chapter has been amended to reflect HHJ Greensmith’s comments in the case of M and N (Children: Local authority gathering, preserving and disclosing evidence) [2018] EWFC 40 (1 June 2018)). (See Section 9, Good Local Authority Practice During Proceedings).
Ceasing to Look After a Child	This chapter has been updated in line with the Children and Social Work Act 2017 and revised statutory guidance. These changes relate to the status of ‘Previously Looked After Children’. A Previously Looked After Child is one who is no longer looked after in England and Wales because they are the subject of an Adoption, Special Guardianship or Child Arrangements Order which includes arrangements relating to with whom the child is to live, or when the child is to live with any person, or has been adopted from ‘state care’ outside England and Wales. Previously Looked After Children are entitled to support from their school through the Designated Teacher (see Section 2.5, Children Who Move into Permanency).
Permanence Planning Guidance	This chapter has been updated in line with the Children and Social Work Act 2017 and revised statutory guidance. These changes relate to the status of ‘Previously Looked After Children’. A Previously Looked After Child is one who is no longer looked after in England and Wales because they are the subject of an Adoption, Special Guardianship or Child Arrangements Order which includes arrangements relating to with whom the child is to live, or when the child is to live with any person, or has been adopted from ‘state care’ outside England and Wales. Children subject to an Adoption, Special Guardianship or Child Arrangements Order are entitled to support from their school, through the Designated Teacher.
Placements in Secure Accommodation on Welfare Grounds	This chapter has been updated to fully reflect the updated Department for Education Guidance ‘Secure children’s homes: how to place a child aged under 13 (July 2018)’. (See Section 6, Placements of Children under the age of 13 years).
Remands to Local Authority Accommodation or to Youth Detention Accommodation	This chapter has been updated to reflect the role of the Youth Custody Service when placing young people in custody, see Section 2.3, How to Request a Transfer or Placement Review.
Education of Children in Care and Previously Looked After Children	This chapter has been updated to reflect amendments made by the Children and Social Work Act 2017. These changes relate to the status of ‘Previously Looked After Children’. A Previously Looked After Child is one who is no longer looked after in England and Wales because they are the subject of an Adoption, Special Guardianship or Child Arrangements Order which includes arrangements relating to with whom the child is to live, or when the child is to live with any person, or has been adopted from ‘state care’ outside England and Wales. The chapter includes a new Section 15, Mental Health and a new Section 8, Safeguarding the Looked After Child at School. A link has been added to the National Curriculum Assessments at Key Stage 2. In addition the chapter reflects the statutory guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2018, as it relates to Children in Care and guidance regarding Data protection and safeguarding as set out in Data protection: a toolkit for schools (August 2018).
Children in Care In Contact With Youth Justice Services	This chapter has been updated in relation to the role of the Youth Custody Service when placing young people in custody, see Section 7.7, How to Request a Transfer or Placement Review.
Responsibilities of the Local Authority to Former Children in Care who are in Custody	This chapter has been updated in relation to the role of the Youth Custody Service when placing young people in custody, see Section 3.8, How to Request a Transfer or Placement Review.
Adoption Support	This chapter has been updated in line with the Children and Social Work Act 2017 and revised statutory guidance which require schools, through the Designated Teacher for Looked After Children, to offer support to Previously Looked After Children. A Previously Looked After Child is one who is no longer looked after in England and Wales because subject of an Adoption, Special Guardianship or Child Arrangements Order which includes arrangements relating to with whom the child is to live, or when the child is to live with any person, or has been adopted from ‘state care’ outside England and Wales).
Adoption Reviews	Section 5, The Conduct of Adoption Reviews (bullet point 1.f) has been amended to reflect the status of adopted children as being ‘Previously Looked After’ when considering their educational needs. A link to DfE guidance on Promoting the Education of Looked After and Previously Looked After Children was also added.
Application for Special Guardianship Orders	This chapter has been updated in line with the Children and Social Work Act 2017 and revised statutory guidance which require schools, through the Designated Teacher to provide support to previously Looked After Children A Previously Looked After Child is one who is no longer looked after in England and Wales because they are the subject of an Adoption, Special Guardianship or Child Arrangements Order which includes arrangements relating to with whom the child is to live, or when the child is to live with any person, or has been adopted from ‘state care’ outside England and Wales. It has also been updated to reflect the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman good practice points to follow when working with Special Guardians. A link to the full report ‘Firm Foundations: Complaints about Council Support and Advice for Special Guardians (Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman) (May 2018)’ was added into the Relevant National Guidance section of this chapter.
Key Local Contacts	Local contacts have been reviewed locally and updated.
New Chapters
Chapter Title	Details
Deprivation of Liberty
Mental Capacity

Next update: May 2020

Archive

2018 Amendments

November 2018

Updated Chapters
Chapter Title	Details
Children’s Social Care Policies, Values and Principles	A new Section 2, Corporate Parenting has been added in response to the DfE Applying Corporate Parenting Principles to Looked-after Children and Care Leavers – Statutory Guidance (Feb 2018). It includes the seven corporate parenting principles set out in the guidance.
Confidentiality Policy	This guidance has been reviewed and updated following the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018.
Contacts and Referrals	This chapter has been revised to set out in more detail the timetable and partnership requirements associated with effectively managing contacts and referrals.
Care and Supervision Proceedings and the Public Law Outline	Section 4.2, Case Analysis has been updated to reflect the ‘permanence provisions’ of the Care Plan added by Section 8 Children and Social Work Act 2017 (amending Section 31(3B) Children Act 1989) which a court is required to consider when deciding whether to make a Care Order. It was also updated to include detail on parents who lack capacity and added links to the President of the Family Division, Family Proceedings: Parents with a Learning Disability note.
Death or Serious Injury to a Child (Child in Care)	This guidance has been reviewed and updated throughout to reflect the revised process by which local authorities in England must notify the national Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel within 5 working days of becoming aware of a serious incident.
Case Records and Retention	Section 1, The Case Record has been updated in line with Adoption and Care Planning (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2018, which permits the transfer of a copy of the child’s case record (or part of that record) to another adoption agency when the local authority considers this to be in the interests of the child.
Access to Records / Subject Access Requests	This guidance has been reviewed throughout and updated to reflect the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018.
Children in Need Plans and Reviews - Practice Guidance	This chapter has been updated by adding a new Section 6, Children in Need Moving to Another Local Authority - Principles. Whenever a Child in Need moves to another authority, information sharing and communication between the respective authorities is important to ensure appropriate services continue for the child and family and, where relevant, any risk of harm is recognised and identified with the receiving local authority.
Children and Young People Aged 0-25 with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities	This chapter has been updated to reflect the outcome of a court judgement on Ordinary Residence that has been included in Department of Health and Social Care, Care and support statutory guidance (December 2016). (See Section 12, Funding Issues - Ordinary Residence).
Unaccompanied Migrant Children and Child Victims of Trafficking and Modern Slavery	This guidance has been reviewed throughout and extensively updated to reflect the DfE publication Care of Unaccompanied Migrant Children and Child Victims of Modern Slavery: Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities.
Families with No Recourse to Public Funds	A link has been added to information from the Project for the Registration of Children as British Citizens in relation to the responsibilities that local authorities have to ensure that children in their care have effective access to specialist legal advice so their citizenship or any entitlement to citizenship is secured. See Relevant Guidance for full details.
Decision to Look After and Care Planning	Section 2.1, The Care Plan – Contents has been amended to reflect the additional ‘permanence provisions’ of the Care Plan (s. 8 Children and Social Work Act 2017 amends section 31(3B) Children Act 1989) which a court is required to consider when deciding whether to make a Care Order. It has also been amended to reflect the outcome of a decision of the Court of Appeal with respect to the ‘consent’ requirement under Section 20 Children Act 1989. The court recognised that the word ‘consent’ does not appear in Section 20. However, it described previous case law as ‘good practice guidance’, emphasising its current judgment should not alter the content or effect of these. (See Section 1.3.1, Obtaining Parental Consent).
Permanence Planning Guidance	Section 5, Assessing and Planning for Permanence has been updated to reflect the additional ‘permanence provisions’ of the Care Plan (under S.8 Children and Social Work Act 2017 amends section 31(3B) Children Act 1989) which a court is required to consider when deciding whether to make a Care Order.
Social Worker Visits to Children in Care	Section 2, Exceptions has been revised to set out more clearly the circumstances where visiting requirements differ from those set out in Section 1, Normal Frequency.
Advocacy and Independent Visitors	This chapter has been updated to include a link to the Children’s Society ‘Advocacy Services for Children and Young People – A Guide for Commissioners’. This guide outlines the legislative requirements of local authorities in the provision of advocacy support to Children in Need and Children in Care.
Children and Young People in Care Reviews	This chapter has been amended to fully reflect the Volume 2: Care Planning, Placement and Case Review Guidance and Regulations with respect to the circumstances as to when a Children and Young People in Care Review should be brought forward. (See Section 2, Frequency of Children and Young People in Care Reviews).
Health Care Assessments and Plans	A new Section 3.5, Consent to Health Care Assessments has been added to provide information on the circumstances when young people can consent to their own Health Care Assessments and medical treatment. Links were also added to the following local guidance documents: Health Assessments - A step by step guide to practice; Initial Health Assessment Process Map; Review Health Assessment Process Map; Refusal Health assessment Process Map;
Leaving Care and Transition	This guidance has been revised throughout to reflect the provisions of the Children and Social Work Act 2017 which require local authorities to offer Personal Adviser support to all care leavers up to the age of 25; to publish their Local Offer for care leavers; and to have regard to seven 'Corporate Parenting Principles'.
Plan for Adoption	Section 1, Planning for Permanence has been revised to reflect the updated list of considerations (as amended by Section 9 Children and Social Work Act 2017) which must be referenced whenever a court or adoption agency is coming to a decision relating to the adoption of a child. Following the introduction of the Children and Social Work Act, this list now includes consideration of the relationship which the child has with relatives, with any person who is a prospective adopter with whom the child is placed and with any other person in relation to whom the court or agency considers the relationship to be relevant. Updates have also been added to emphasise ‘procedural fairness’ as a key aspect of the adoption planning process in respect of ensuring parents are provided with information throughout, including the dates of placement/proposed changes of a child’s Status, etc. This follows the outcome of a judicial review ([2017] EWHC 1041 (Admin)). (See new Section 4.4, Procedural Fairness).
Early Permanence Placements / Fostering for Adoption	Section 4.1, Duty to Consider Fostering for Adoption Placement has been revised to reflect the updated list of considerations (as amended by Section 9 Children and Social Work Act 2017) which must be referenced whenever a court or adoption agency is coming to a decision relating to the adoption of a child. Following the introduction of the Children and Social Work Act, this list now includes consideration of the relationship which the child has with relatives, with any person who is a prospective adopter with whom the child is placed and with any other person in relation to whom the court or agency considers the relationship to be relevant.
Adoption Case Records	Section 3, Security, Retention and Sharing of Records has been updated in line with the Adoption and Care Planning (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2018, which provide that an adoption agency may disclose an adoption case record to another adoption agency for purposes related to either agency’s functions as an adoption agency. Further information was added in relation to adoption records where an Adoption Order is not made.
Key Local Contacts	Local contacts has been reviewed locally and updated.
Designated Managers	Information in this section has been reviewed locally and updated as required.
Removed Chapters
City of York Pledge to Children and Young People in Care: Young People’s Guide; City of York’s Pledge to Children and Young People in Care Poster; City of York Pledge to Children and Young People in Care: Professionals Guide.

2017 Amendments

June 2017

Updated Chapters
Chapter Title	Details
Care and Supervision Proceedings and the Public Law Outline	This chapter has been updated to reflect the outcome of a judgment following an application to remove a child at birth. The judge in that case highlighted what were thought to be ‘good practice steps’ to issuing care proceedings in respect of the removal of a child at birth (see Section 3.1, Pre-birth Planning and Proceedings for full details).
Safeguarding Children and Young People from Sexual Exploitation	This guidance has been updated to reflect the revised definition of Child Sexual Exploitation published by the Department for Education in February 2017. See Section 1, Introduction for further details.
Short Breaks	This guidance has been fully updated to bring it in line with the Children and Families Act 2014, DfE, Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0-25 years Statutory Guidance for Organisations who work with Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (2015) and DfE, The Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulation - Volume 2: Care Planning, Placement and Case Review Regulations (2015)
Placements in Residential Care	This guidance has been reviewed throughout and updated as required.
Placements with Connected Persons	Section 3, Approval of Immediate Placements of Children in Care with Connected Persons has been updated to include that one of matters to be considered when placing a child with a Connected Person should include an initial risk assessment of any pets in the household, together with the environment in which the pet is kept.
Placements in Secure Accommodation on Welfare Grounds	This guidance has been extensively amended and now includes new/enhanced sections on 'Applications for Secure Accommodation'; 'Children to Whom Section 25 Applies', (including the issues of children aged 16 years and Section 20 Accommodation); 'Placements for Children aged under 13 years' and 'Support, Monitoring and Ending of Placements' etc.
Placements with Parents	Section 1.2, Assessment and Checks before Placement has been updated to include a note that, when assessing whether the home environment is safe for the child, consideration should be given to the need for a risk assessment of any pets and the environment in which they are kept.
Responding to Children and Young People who go Missing from Placement	This document, which sets out how to respond when a Child in Care is missing from their placement, has been updated to reflect the revised College of Policing (2016) guidance on the investigation of missing people.
Children and Young People in Care Reviews	This chapter has been updated to note The Law Society guidance ‘Attendance of solicitors at local authority Children Act Meetings’ and their Code of Conduct where the child or family who attend reviews are supported by a legal representative (see Section 7, Supporters and Interpreters for full details).
Social Visits (Including Overnight Stays)	This guidance in relation to social visits and overnight stays for children placed with foster carers has been reviewed and extensively updated.
Supervision and Support of Foster Carers	The following information has been added into Section 5, Support Provided by the Supervising Social Worker (During Placement) - The Safer Care Policy should be updated as required to reflect any changes in household circumstances and any health and safety issues including the addition of any new pets to the household and the environment in which the pets are kept.
Assessment and Approval of Prospective Adopters	Section 5.3, Assessments has been updated to include that, where the applicants have pets, a risk assessment should be conducted and any associated risks should be taken into account both in relation to the pet itself and where the pet is kept. Where necessary, an independent assessment should be undertaken by a vet to establish whether the dog falls within the scope of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.
Application for Special Guardianship Orders	This chapter has been updated to include details of the Adoption Support Fund which now also covers therapeutic support for children, living in England, who were in care immediately before the making of a Special Guardianship Order - see Section 9, Special Guardianship Support for further information.
Special Guardianship Order Support	This chapter has been reviewed locally and updated as required.
New Chapters and Features
Chapter Title	Details
Child Protection Cases and the Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC)	This new chapter explains the role of the Family Drug and Alcohol Service and Family Drug and Alcohol Court in supporting substance misusing parents to achieve abstinence and thereby be better able to provide safe and effective care for their children.
Recording Standards	This document which contains the standards, expectations, roles and responsibilities for case recording applicable to Children’s Social Care staff and managers has been completely rewritten and should be read in full. The standards relate to both the timeliness and the quality of the recording.

2016 Amendments

December 2016

Updated Chapters
Chapter Title	Details
Single Assessment	This chapter has been reviewed and updated. Additional guidance has been added into Section 7, Developing a Clear Analysis. A new Section 11.1, Pre-birth 'Good Practice Steps' has been added to reflect the outcome of a judgment following an application to remove a child at birth. The judge in the case highlighted ‘good practice steps’ to undertaking assessments and issuing care proceedings in respect of the removal of a child at birth, including the assessment process.
Legal Gateway Meetings	This chapter has been updated to reflect the outcome of a judgment following an application to remove a child at birth. The judge set out what were thought to be ‘basic and good practice steps’ (see Section 3, Issues Considered at Legal Gateway Meeting).
Access to Records	This guidance has been reviewed and updated as required. Section 7, Application by Parents has been rewritten.
Joint Procedure for the Assessment of Housing and Support Needs of Homeless or likely to become Homeless 16 and 17 Year Olds	This chapter has been updated.
Direct Payments	This guidance has been reviewed and updated throughout as required. Section 7, Hospital Stays is new and should be read.
Decision to Look After and Care Planning	Following the judgment of Munby P in the matter of N (Children) (Adoption: Jurisdiction) (2015) EWCA Civ 1112, good practice guidance in using and drafting agreements under Section 20 of the Children Act 1989 has been added to this procedure. It is recommended that Section 1.3, Section 20 Accommodation is read in full. In addition, a link has been added to the ADCS/Cafcass Practice Guidance for the Use of Section 20.
Placements in Secure Accommodation	This chapter has been amended to take account of the President of the High Court’s judgement regarding applications in English courts for Secure Accommodation placements in Scotland (see Section 4.1, Placement Request, Identification and Approval).
Remands to Local Authority Accommodation or to Youth Detention Accommodation	This guidance has been extensively updated. It should be read in full.
Advocacy and Independent Visitors	This chapter has been reviewed and updated as required. Section 1.2, Duties of an Advocate is new and Section 2.2, Duties of an Independent Visitor has been rewritten.
Secure Accommodation (Criteria) Reviews	Section 3, Chairing of Secure Accommodation Reviews has been amended as follows: The Secure Accommodation Panel should be chaired by a person independent of the care planning for the child, including line managers and the Independent Reviewing Officer. Given the need to focus on the Section 25, Children Act 1989 criteria issues, the chair should also be independent of any resource allocation, etc. but should have sufficient experience and knowledge to carry out the task. An Independent Reviewing Officer may sit as one of the other two Panel members (not as part of the IRO function).
Leaving Care and Transition	This chapter has been reviewed locally and updated as required to reflect current practice and processes for working with Care Leavers.
Pathway Financial Arrangements for Young People who have Left Care Aged 16-17	This chapter has been reviewed throughout and updated as required.
Pathway Financial Arrangements for Young People who have Left Care Aged 18+	This document has been reviewed throughout and updated as required.
Looked After Children and Young People In Contact With Youth Justice Services	This guidance has been substantially updated and should be read in full.
Responsibilities of the Local Authority to Former Looked After Children and Young People in Custody	This guidance has been reviewed and updated throughout. It should be read in full.
Early Permanence Placements / Fostering for Adoption	A note has been added into Section 4.2, Considering Adoption for a Child to reiterate that if, at any point during the planning of an Early Permanence / Fostering for Adoption placement, or if the child is already in such a placement, there is any change to the circumstances of prospective carers (including relatives), a planning meeting with the Fostering for Adoption carers and all professionals involved should take place as soon as possible. This will allow the carers the opportunity to make an informed choice about their position, and also allows the local authority to consider their position in light of the change in circumstances.
Adoption Panel	A note has been added into Section 2, Adoption Panel Membership requiring that the list of persons considered to be suitable to be members of an Adoption Panel is maintained by an appointed senior social worker with at least 5 years’ relevant post-qualification experience and relevant management experience.
Application for Special Guardianship Orders	Section 5, Planning Meeting, has been revised and updated to reflect the enhanced assessment and reporting requirements (for all applications made from 29 February 2016) as set out in the Special Guardianship (Amendment) Regulations 2016.
Child Arrangements Order Allowances	This guidance has been reviewed and updated throughout; it should be read in full.
Court Reports in Placement Orders/Adoption Orders/Special Guardianship Orders Guidance	Section 4, Special Guardianship – Matters to be Dealt with in Report to Court, has been revised and updated to reflect the enhanced assessment and reporting requirements (for all applications made from 29 February 2016 as set out in the Special Guardianship (Amendment) Regulations 2016.
Key Local Contacts	Local contacts have been reviewed locally and updated.
Designated Managers	Information in this section has been reviewed locally and updated as required.
New Chapters and Features
Chapter Title	Details
Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority Claims for Children Looked After	This chapter has been added to the manual.

2015 Amendments

November 2015

Updated Chapters
Chapter Title	Details
Confidentiality Policy	This chapter has been updated with reference to the following guidance; Information Sharing Advice for Practitioners Providing Safeguarding Services to Children, Young People, Parents And Carers (Department for Education, March 2015).
Section 47 Enquiries	This procedure has been reviewed and updated as required.
Application for Emergency Protection Orders	This chapter has been updated throughout in line with the revised family justice and courts system. A new Section 6 on Powers to Assist in Discovery of Children who may be in Need of Emergency Protection has been added.
Access to Records	This chapter has been reviewed locally and updated; Section 4, Handling Formal Requests for Access – a Step-by-Step Guide has been completely rewritten and guides staff through the steps to be followed when dealing with a subject access request.
Private Fostering – Practice Guidance	This new guidance explains the requirement for the local authority to be notified of any private fostering arrangements, and describes the process to be followed by Children’s Social Care staff when they become aware that a child is privately fostered.
Joint Procedure for the Assessment of Housing and Support Needs of Homeless or likely to become Homeless 16 and 17 Year Olds	This joint protocol between York Children’s Services and Housing Services has been updated and sets out clear, practical arrangements for providing services that are centred on the young person and their families and prevent young people from being passed between agencies.
Children and Young People Aged 0-25 with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities	This guidance has been updated to reflect the provisions of the Care Act 2014. Section 10.1, Adult Services Statutory Care and Support Plans has been rewritten and covers the assessment of disabled children likely to need support when they turn 18. Section 13, Young Carers and Parent Carers of Disabled Children is new and should be read.
Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC)	A link to new age assessment practice guidance and tools for Local Authorities and their partners developed by the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) has been added.
Families with No Recourse to Public Funds	This chapter has been updated to reflect provisions of the Care Act 2014. Information on the Independent Family Returns Panel has been added into the end of Section 3, Procedures for Working with Families with No Recourse to Public Funds.
Permanence Planning Guidance	This chapter has been updated to reflect the revised Children Act 1989 guidance and regulations - Volume 2: care planning, placement and case review which has been published in June 2015. Section 3.7, Long Term Fostering has been re-written to reflect the updated guidance and regulations, and should be read in full.
Placements in Foster Care	This chapter has been updated to reflect the revised Children Act 1989 guidance and regulations - Volume 2: care planning, placement and case review. A new Section 9, Long-Term Foster Placement has been added.
Out of Authority Placements: Approval, Consultation and Notification Process	This practice guidance summarises the processes to be followed when securing approval for an Out of Authority Placement for a Looked After Child. It also sets out the procedure for consulting with and notifying the authority in which the planned placement is located. It has been reviewed locally and re written to ensure compliance with current regulations and statutory guidance. It should be read in full by all staff planning placements for Children in Care.
Placements with Parents	Additional information has been added into Section 1.7, Ending of Placement, to take account of a High Court ruling which stated that, except in an emergency, at least 14 days notice should be given where it is proposed to remove a child from a placement with parents. An unnecessary immediate removal of the child from the placement is likely to breach the human rights of the parents and the child.
Social Worker Visits to Children in Care	This guidance has been updated to reflect the revised visiting requirements in respect of long term foster placements as set out in the revised Children Act 1989 guidance and regulations - Volume 2: care planning, placement and case review.
Children and Young People in Care Reviews	This chapter has been updated to include the requirements of the revised Children Act 1989 guidance and regulations Volume 2: care planning, placement and case review (June 2015). A new Section 10, Children and Young People in Care Reviews Concerning Children in Long Term Foster Placements has been added, and explains that where a child is placed in a designated long-term foster placement, and has been in this placement for more than a year, consideration should be given to whether it is necessary to hold a meeting as part of each review. Any decision to reduce the frequency of meetings will be taken by the IRO and the child’s social worker, in consultation with the child / young person (subject to their age and understanding). Even where the Review will not include a meeting, the IRO must ensure that full consultation with all relevant individuals, including the child, has taken place to inform the review of the child’s case.
Notification of Significant Events	This chapter sets out who must be notified of specified events in relation to Children in Care placed in foster care or residential care; it has been amended following publication of the Children’s Homes Quality Standards and Regulations (March 2015) and Working Together to Safeguard Children.
Health Care Assessments and Plans	This chapter has been reviewed and updated throughout to reflect revised statutory guidance for local authorities, clinical commissioning groups and NHS England on Promoting the health and well-being of looked-after children. Section 1, The Responsibilities of Local Authorities and Clinical Commissioning Groups is new. The role of the Social Worker in promoting child health is explained in Section 3, Health Care Assessments.
Child Trust Funds and Junior Individual Savings Accounts for Children in Care	This chapter has been updated to reflect the increase in the annual limit on contributions to Child Trust Funds/ Junior ISA’s for Children in Care, which is now £4080.
Leaving Care and Transition	The following information has been added: the local authority should have a flexible approach to supporting young people aged 16 and 17 year back in to care if a young person’s decision to move into semi-independent accommodation, leave care or decline leaving care services is subsequently identified as premature.
Staying Put	A Staying Put arrangement is where a young person who has been living in foster care remains in the former foster home after the age of 18. The procedure for staying put arrangements in York has been rewritten locally.
Adoption Support	This guidance has been reviewed and updated as required. A new Section 10.8, Remuneration for Former Foster Carers has been added.
Assessment and Approval of Prospective Adopters	The following changes have been made: Where a prospective adopter enquires about inter-country adoption, the Yorkshire Adoption Agency offers free advice on inter-country adoption to York citizens and will also be able to provide information about the estimated costs the prospective adopter will have to pay to the agency and the Department for Education if they wish to proceed; In relation to references, applicants will be asked to provide the names of three personal referees, who are adults (not more than one of whom should be related to them), have known the applicant for at least two years and who are happy to provide personal references on the prospective adopter. A written report must be prepared of the interviews held with each of the referees.
Application for Special Guardianship Orders	The following note has been added into Section 10, Financial Support: Where the child/young person is not a Looked After Child, a discussion must take place with the Head of Service prior to a financial assessment for on-going financial support being undertaken.
Supervision Policy and Guidance to Staff	Section 6, Supervision Standards has been updated to explain the purpose and process for both Professional Supervision and Case Supervision.
Key Local Contacts	Local contact information has been reviewed locally and updated as required.
Designated Managers	Information in this chapter has been reviewed locally and updated as required.
New Chapters and Features
Chapter Title	Details
Social Networking Information for Children’s Social Care Staff, Foster Carers and Prospective Adopters	This new guidance provides general information about social networking as well as highlighting aspects of social networking that apply particularly to children and young people who are looked after or have been adopted. It is important that carers and staff who work with Children Looked After understand the opportunities and dangers that social networking can present to this group of vulnerable children and young people, and how best to support them in learning about safe use of the internet and social networking sites.
Core Groups - Practice Guidance	This practice guidance has been produced for staff in Children’s Social Care and provides clear information on the purpose of the Core Group. It also contains useful practical information to help with the smooth running of the Core Group Meeting, and sets out the Agenda to be used.
Young Carers	This new chapter provides guidance on identifying and responding to young carers. Local Authorities are expected to take ‘reasonable steps’ to identify which children in their area are young carers, and if they need support. The Local Authority must carry out an assessment if it appears that the young carer has the need for support. This assessment is called a Young Carer’s Needs Assessment.
Ceasing to Look After a Child	This new chapter reflects the statutory guidance ‘Ceasing to look after a child’ in ‘Care Planning, Placement and Case Review Regulations (2015)’ as amended by the ‘Care Planning and Fostering (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2015’ and Working Together to Safeguard Children. The Local Authority has a duty to ensure that when children have been Accommodated under Section 20 (Children Act 1989) and are discharged from, or leave care that the discharge is in their best interests and that they will be safeguarded and their welfare will be promoted. Where a child has been Accommodated for 20 days or more, the decision should be made by a Nominated Officer, or Director of Children’s Services if the child/young person is 16/17 years and has been Accommodated under Section 20, before discharge.
Responding to Children and Young People who go Missing or Absent from Placement	A link has been added to a shortened version of the Joint Protocol regarding Children and Young People who go Missing from Home or Care (April 2015) agreed between North Yorkshire Police, North Yorkshire County Council and City of York Council. The protocol defines the roles and responsibilities of carers, the Police and Children's Social Care practitioners when a child goes missing. The full Protocol is available from the Forms Library
Guidance on the Assessment of New Partners within Fostering Households	This new chapter contains guidance for workers on assessing new partners within fostering households.

2014 Amendments

November 2014

Updated Chapters
Chapter Title	Details
Family Early Help Assessment	The Family Early Help Assessment (FEHA) has replaced the Common Assessment Framework / CAF and is used with families to assess, plan and provide support with the aim of preventing problems escalating to the point where statutory intervention becomes necessary.
Access to Records	This chapter has been updated in line with Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations Volume 3: Planning Transition to Adulthood for Care Leavers (revised May 2014) A new Section 8, Applications by Care Leavers has been added.
Direct Payments	This chapter has been updated throughout in line with the Children and Families Act 2014 Part 3 (children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities) and the Special Educational Needs (Personal Budgets) Regulations 2014. The chapter should be re-read.
Unaccompanied Asylum Seekers	This chapter has been amended throughout to reflect new Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities on the Care of Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking and Trafficked Children (2014).
Families with No Recourse to Public Funds	A link to Practice Guidance for Local Authorities on Assessing and Supporting Children, Families and Care Leavers with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) has been added to this chapter.
Permanence Planning Guidance	This chapter has been updated throughout in line with the Children and Families Act 2014, and the overall aim of speeding up the adoption process. It should be re-read. The main changes are in relation to adoption, specifically Early Permanence Placements / Fostering for Adoption. Any references to Residence Orders have been changed to Child Arrangements Orders.
Placements in Foster Care	This chapter has been updated in line with the Children's Homes and Looked After Children (Miscellaneous Amendments) (England) Regulations 2013. Additional information has been added to Section 4, Placement Planning, relating to the inclusion of information agreed between the local authority and the placement provider about the arrangements to keep the child safe. In Section 6, Support and Monitoring of Placements a Children and Young People in Care Review should be held where the child has been persistently absent from their placement, or where there are concerns that the child may be at risk of harm.
Placements in Residential Care	This chapter has been amended in line with the Children's Homes and Looked After Children (Miscellaneous Amendments) (England) Regulations 2013. Additional information has been added to Sections 2.3, Placement Planning relating to the inclusion of information agreed between the local authority and the placement provider about the arrangements to keep the child safe, and 2.4, Notification of Placement in relation to Placements at a Distance. In section 3.1, Support and Monitoring of Placements, a Children and Young People in Care Review should be held where the child has been persistently absent from their placement, or where there are concerns that the child may be at risk of harm.
Out of Area Placements	This chapter has been updated in relation to Placements at a Distance, in line with the Children's Homes and Looked After Children (Miscellaneous Amendments) (England) Regulations 2013.
Placements in Secure Accommodation	A link to Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities on Court Orders and Pre-Proceedings has been added.
Notifications from Other Local Authorities/Placement Providers	This chapter has been updated in line with the Children's Homes and Looked After Children (Miscellaneous Amendments) (England) Regulations 2013 in relation to notifications received from children’s homes of children admitted to/discharged from the Home.
Remands to Local Authority Accommodation or to Youth Detention Accommodation	This chapter has been substantially revised and updated it should be re-read in full.
Advocacy and Independent Visitors	This chapter, which provides information on the circumstances in which an Advocate or Independent Visitor should be appointed for a Looked After Child or Young Person, has been reviewed locally and updated.
Looked After Children Care Reviews	This chapter has been updated in line with the Children's Homes and Looked After Children (Miscellaneous Amendments) (England) Regulations 2013. In Section 2, Frequency of Children and Young People in Care Reviews, a Review should be held where the child has been persistently absent from their placement, or where there are concerns that the child may be at risk of harm. In Section 8, Independent Reviewing Officer's Responsibilities, consideration must be given as to whether the placement safeguards and promotes the child’s welfare, and whether any safeguarding concerns have been raised.
Education of Looked After Children	Section 1, Duty to Promote the Educational Achievement of Looked After Children has been updated to reflect Revised Statutory Guidance for schools and colleges on safeguarding children, including safer recruitment. References to Statements of Special Educational Need have been replaced with Education, Health and Care Plans. The chapter should be read in full.
Leaving Care and Transition	This chapter has been updated in line with Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations Volume 3: Planning Transition to Adulthood for Care Leavers (revised May 2014) Information has been added in relation to Section 9, The 16-19 Bursary Fund and Higher Education Bursary in relation to the Higher Education Bursary, Section 9, Young People Resuming Education or Training After 21 and Section 10, Access to Records are new.
Staying Put	This chapter has been been rewritten, and replaces previous guidance which dated from 2011. A Staying Put arrangement is where a young person who has been living in foster care remains in the former foster home after the age of 18.
Looked After Children in Contact with Youth Justice Services	This chapter has been substantially revised and updated, it should be read in full.
Child Trust Funds and Junior Individual Savings Accounts for Looked After Children	This chapter has been updated to reflect the increase in the annual limit on contributions to Child Trust Funds/ Junior ISA’s for Looked After Children. From 01 July 2014, the annual limit increased to £4000.
Assessment and Approval of Foster Carers	This chapter has been updated throughout to reflect the most recent fostering statutory guidance. Sharing Information for the Purposes of Foster Carer Agreements is new.
Fostering Exemptions and Extensions / Variations to Foster Carer’s Terms of Approval	This chapter has been reviewed locally and updated throughout. It should be read in full.
Review and Termination of Approval of Foster Carers	This chapter has been reviewed locally and updated throughout. Section 8, Resignation by Foster Carers is new.
Plan for Adoption	This chapter has been reviewed locally and updated throughout, It should be read in full.
Placement for Adoption	This chapter has been reviewed locally and updated throughout, It should be read in full.
Adoption Case Records	This chapter has been updated throughout as a result of local review. It should be re-read.
Adoption Support	This chapter has been reviewed locally and updated throughout. To reflect the Children and Families Act 2014, a new Section 2, Duty to Provide Information Concerning Adoption Support has been added. The chapter should be read in full.
Assessment and Approval of Prospective Adopters	This chapter has been updated in line with the Children and Families Act 2014 and the overall aim of speeding up the adoption process. The chapter has been updated throughout and should be re-read. Information has been added in relation to: Fostering for Adoption (Sections 1 and 5.4); Adoption Register (Section 9); Duty to provide information on adoption support services (Sections 1 and 3); Ethnicity (Section 2.3).
Allegations Against Prospective Adopters in Relation to Children Placed for Adoption or Already Adopted and in Receipt of Adoption Support Services from City of York	This chapter has been reviewed locally and updated as required. It should be read in full. In particular the definition of the behaviour / alleged behaviour which falls within the scope of this procedure has been amended to cover allegations or suspicions that prospective adopters have: Behaved in a way that has, or may have, harmed a child; Possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to a child; Behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates that he or she may pose a risk of harm to children.
Step Parent and other Non Agency Adoption	This chapter has been reviewed and updated throughout. Detail has been added into Section 2, Notifications concerning the step-parent adoption information pack and the information it should contain. A new sub section on Welfare Supervision has also been added into Section 2. The chapter should be read in full.
Access to Birth Records and Adoption Case Records	Information has been added to this chapter PAC UK who have been commissioned by the City of York Council to provide Birth Records Counselling.
Intermediary Services and Access to Information in Pre-Commencement Adoptions	This chapter has been updated throughout to include information about PAC-UK who have a Service Level Agreement with City of York Council. If York residents wish to access any of the intermediary services detailed in this chapter, the adoption service will signpost them to PAC-UK.
Application for Special Guardianship Orders	This chapter has been reviewed and updated throughout. References to Residence Orders have been replaced with Child Arrangements Orders which were introduced by the Children and Families Act 2014.
Special Guardianship Order Support other than Allowance	This chapter has been reviewed locally and updated throughout.
Child Arrangements Order Allowances	This chapter has been updated throughout to reflect the change from Residence Orders to Child Arrangements Orders following the implementation of the Children and Families Act 2014.
Guidance on Payment of Adoption Allowance, Special Guardianship Order Allowance and Child Arrangement Order Allowance	References to Residence Orders have been removed and replaced with Child Arrangements Orders which were introduced by the Children and Families Act 2014.
Key Local Contacts	Local contact information has been reviewed locally and updated as required.
Designated Managers	Information in this chapter has been reviewed locally and updated as required.
New Chapters and Features
Chapter Title	Details
Care and Supervision Proceedings and the Public Law Outline	This chapter contains information on the Public Law Outline including pre proceedings work, starting care and supervision proceedings, the Case Management Hearing, the flexible powers of the court, the use of expert witnesses and the timetable for the child.
Safeguarding Children and Young People from Sexual Exploitation	This chapter, which should be read alongside the City of York Safeguarding Children Board procedures regarding sexual exploitation of children and young people, summarises recent Government / National Guidance around Child Sexual Exploitation. It contains information on indicators of concern, how and when to refer concerns and how to support children and young people out of sexual exploitation.
Children and Young People Aged 0-25 with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities	This chapter provides information on reforms of services to children and young people with disabilities and special educational needs introduced by the Children and Families Act 2014.
Notification of Significant Events	This chapter sets out who must be notified of specified events in relation to Looked After Children placed in foster care or residential care.
Early Permanence Placements / Fostering for Adoption	This chapter deals with the placement of a child with carers who are dually approved, i.e. approved both as prospective adopters and as local authority foster carers. The advantage of this type of placement is that the child will be placed with foster carers who, subject to a Placement Order being made, or parental consent, are expected to go on to become the child’s adoptive family. The child therefore benefits from an early placement with their eventual permanent carers.
Supervision Policy and Guidance to Staff	The Guidance is for all staff and managers within City of York Children’s Social Care for whom accountability for casework is a core function of Supervision.

End