Amendments

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

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

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

In June 2025, a link was added to Disclosure and Barring Service Guidance Leaflets - GOV.UK.

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

In June 2025, this chapter was revised in line with updated government guidance.

In June 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 June 2025, with a link to DBS guidance leaflets - GOV.UK in Section 4.4, Concluding the Investigation.

This chapter was updated in June 2025, with a link to DBS guidance leaflets - GOV.UK in the Related Guidance Section.

This chapter was added to the manual in December 2024.

This chapter was updated in December 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 December 2024, links to sources of further information were updated. A link was added to Operation Innerste Process: Caseworker Guidance. A link was also added in Section 4, Age Assessment to BASW Age Assessment Practice Guidance.

In December 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 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, this chapter was updated in line with revised Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023.

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

In December 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.

This chapter was updated in December 2024 to reflect Championing Kinship Care: The National Kinship Care strategy.

In December 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 Family Networks and Family Group Decision Making Procedure.

This chapter was updated in December 2024.

In December 2024, this chapter was amended in line with revised Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023.

This chapter was added to the manual in December 2024.

In December 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 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.

In December 2024, this chapter was refreshed.

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

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

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

In December 2024, this chapter was refreshed. Section 2, Ordinary Residence was also updated in line with case law.

Section 15.1, Registering an appeal with the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Disability) was updated in December 2024 in line with case law.