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April 2012

Contents

1. Display Options and Printing
2. What is Included in this Manual
3. Amendments and Planned Updates
4. Terminology
5. Keywords and Search
6. Compliance
7. Contact us and Alerts
8. Copyright

1. Display Options and Printing

1.1 Display Options

People with a visual impairment may have difficulty accessing this Manual, if they do, they can change the size of the text/layout - please use the accessibility buttons on the left hand side of every screen; these are the "letter a" buttons increasing in size;

Click a larger "a" button to increase your text size, the very largest being high visibility mode.

1.2 Printing

The Manual should normally be viewed on line.

However, users may print chapters, using the "print" icon in the top right of the manual;

Please note, the Manual will be updated regularly, so staff should avoid retaining printed versions - hard copies are only valid for 72 hours.

2. What is Included in this Manual

The Manual contains all 'operational' policies, procedures and guidance for the Calderdale Children's Social Care, including 'Children in Need, Looked After Services, Children's Disability, Fostering, Adoption and Children's Homes'.

Users can also access the West Yorkshire LSCB Procedures - from the 'Home' Screen.

• Policies, Values and Principles: All Calderdale's Policies, Values and Principles are located in one Chapter, which readers must familiarise themselves with before proceeding to the main body of the Manual. These Policies, Values and Principles should then inform practice when implementing procedures. To access the Policies, Values and Principles chapter click on the 'Values' icon on the 'Home Screen';
• Procedures and Guidance: Procedures and Guidance are usually located in separate Chapters. Procedures summarise how managers and staff must act in given circumstances. Guidance provides direction or advice to a decision or course of action.

3. Amendments and Planned Updates

3.1 Amendments

This manual has been significantly updated by managers and staff in Calderdale Children’s Social Care. Amendments and new chapters are indicated on the Contents List, at the top of each chapter, and in the table below.Where a chapter has only had job titles or team name changes however, it has not been marked as updated.

The chapters in the Adoption Section have not been updated for this version of the manual. These will be amended at the next update (see Section 3.2, Planned Updates).

Chapter	Comment
Amended Chapters
Integrated Children’s System	This chapter has now been deleted.
Core Assessments	Sections 3.1, Criteria and Purpose of a Core Assessment (Without a Child Protection Enquiry), 3.2 Timescales of a Core Assessment (Without a Child Protection Enquiry) and 3.4, Outcome of a Core Assessment (Without a Child Protection Enquiry) have been amended. They should be re-read in their entirety.
Decision to Look After	Section 2.3, Unplanned Emergency Placements and 5.3, Arrangement of first Looked After Review have been amended.They should be re-read in their entirety.
Variation and Revocation of Care Orders	This chapter was amended throughout and should be re-read in its entirety.
Death and Serious Injury to a Child	This chapter was amended in relation to the delegation of responsibility.
Access to Records	This chapter was slightly amended and should be re-read in its entirety.
Emergency Duty Team	This chapter was significantly amended and should be re-read in its entirety.
Out of Hours Placements	This chapter was significantly amended and should be re-read in its entirety.
Child and Family Mental Health Services	This chapter was amended to include Appendix 1, Children’s Suitability for Placement Assessment and Appendix 2, Emergency / Unplanned Admission Checklist.
Care Proceedings	This chapter was amended to include reference to the Gateway Panel and update delegated responsibilities.
Children in Need Plans and Reviews	This chapter was amended in relation to detailing the frequency of the social worker visits in the Child in Need Plan and holding the first review within 28 days of the plan being developed.
Private Fostering	This chapter was amended, in particular, Section 5, Prohibiting Private Fostering Arrangements, Section 7, Statutory Visits and Section 8, Reviews were updated.
Short Breaks - Foster Care	This chapter was significantly amended and should be re-read in its entirety.
Young Carers Service	Section 2.5, Assessment has been updated and should be re-read.
Gateway Panel	This chapter has been amended significantly and should be re-read in its entirety.
Making a Referral for a Foster Placement	This chapter was amended in relation to Section 2.2, Planned Placement.
Placement with Parents	This chapter was amended in relation to Section 1.7, Social Work Visits during the Placement.
Allegations Against Foster Carers	This chapter was to remove reference to the joint protocol with Kirklees which no longer exists.
Looked After Reviews	This chapter was amended to include the Dispute Resolution Process for Independent Reviewing Officers in Section 8, Conflict Resolution.
Education of Looked After Children	This chapter has been amended throughout and should be re-read in its entirety.
Consent for Absence from School	This chapter has been significantly updated and should be re-read in its entirety. It now includes sections on Consent for Absence from School for Therapeutic Interventions / Introductions to Carers; Consent for Absence from School Special Events and Consent for Holidays in Term – Time (Exceptional Circumstances).
Holidays and School Trips In and Outside the UK	This chapter was significantly amended and should be re-read in its entirety.
Social Worker Visits to Looked After Children	Section 1, Normal Frequency has been updated and should be re-read.
Overnight Stays and Contact with Relatives and Friends	This chapter has been amended in relation to Section 4, Cancellation of Contact and Section 5, Review of Contact Arrangements.
Health Assessments and Health Recommendation Plans	This chapter has been significantly and should be re-read in its entirety.
Responding to Enquiries and Applications about Fostering	This chapter has been significantly and should be re-read in its entirety.
Allegations against Prospective Adopters and in Relation to Children Placed for Adoption of already Adopted	This chapter was to remove reference to the joint protocol with Kirklees which no longer exists.
Permissions List	This chapter has been significantly amended.
Personal Education Plans	This chapter was amended in April 2012 and should be re-read.
Consent for Absence from School	This chapter was amended in April 2012 and should be re-read.
The Role of the Virtual School	This chapter was amended in April 2012 and should be re-read.
Change of School Placement	This chapter was amended in April 2012 and should be re-read.
New Chapters
First Response Duty Team Guidance	This is Version 5, January 2012.
Requests for Information from West Yorkshire Constabulary: Advice and Guidance to Field Work Practitioners	This is a new chapter for April 2012.
Short Breaks: Assessment, Planning and Review	This is chapter has been updated. It now includes a Short Breaks Service Statement and a revised chapter Short Breaks: Assessment, Planning and Review. The previous chapter Short Breaks Scheme for Disabled Children has been removed.
Protocol between the Disabled Children's Team and First Response / Children's Social Care	This is a new chapter for April 2012.
The Role of the Virtual School	This is a new chapter for Looked After Children in April 2012.
Change of School Placement	This is a new chapter for Looked After Children in April 2012.
Consent to Treatment	This is a new briefing paper, produced jointly by Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust and Calderdale Council.
Forms Library	New forms have been added to the Library. This will be progressed at the next update.

3.2 Planned Updates

This manual is updated every six months. The publication date for the next version is 12th October, 2012.

If you would like to make suggestions for the next update, either as an amendment of an existing chapter or concerning a new chapter please contact Sue Dent, PA to Assistant Directors for Children's Social Care and Commissioning and Partnership Services. Her email address is Sue.Dent@Calderdale.gov.uk.

In order to allow time for us to incorporate the changes into the manual, all amendments need to be received by Sue two months prior to the delivery date, which is by 13th August.

4. Terminology

As far as possible, consistent terminology is used in this Manual, which means that some generic terms are used - as follows:

'Home' and 'Resource'	this is a generic term which means Children's Home, Foster Home
'Child' or 'Young Person'	both these terms are used to mean any child under the age of 18. In most chapters however, the term ‘child’ is used.
'Staff' or 'Carer'	means all Staff and Carers (including) whether employed or not
'Manager'	means Team Manager, it also means YOT Team Manager
'Line Manager'	means the first Line Manager of a team/service
Designated Manager	The term Designated Manager is often used where notifications or approvals are required by a Manager above the level of Team Manager. Where users see this term they may click on it to view relevant contact details
'Parent'	means person with Parental Responsibility
'Regulatory Authority'	Regulatory Authority is the generic term used in this manual to describe the independent regulatory body responsible for inspecting and regulating services e.g. Ofsted.
'Social Worker'	This means the worker allocated to the child/family. If there is no allocated worker, the Duty Social Worker or Team Manager is responsible.
Placement Plan/Placement Information Record	Both these terms are used in this manual to mean the same thing. Previously, Social Workers were required to complete an LAC Placement Plan for a Looked After Children, but the arrangement is changing with the implementation of The Integrated Children's System: Placement Plans are being replaced by Placement Information Records. Therefore, both terms are used in this manual to mean the same thing. NB: Where a child is placed in a Children's Home or in Foster Care, the Home/Carer will have their own plan or agreement which is designed to complement the Placement Plan/Placement Information Record.

5. Keywords and Search

5.1 Keywords

Keywords are terms or phrases which require further definition or explanation (such as 'Significant Harm', 'CAFCASS' or 'Personal Education Plan').

This manual contains a 'Keywords Appendix' with over 400 definitions and cross references, some of which are highlighted within the body of chapters, like this - Significant Harm. If you find a Keyword like this, access the definition by clicking on it.

The majority of terms are not highlighted, but are defined in the Keywords Appendix - which acts like a 'search' facility. You can search for key terms, read definitions and see links to relevant chapters, if they exist in the manual.

5.2 Search

You can search the whole manual for Chapter titles and sub sections of individual Chapters.

To do this, click on 'Search' on the left hand side of the screen.

6. Compliance

6.1 Regulatory Compliance

Every effort has been taken to ensure regulatory compliance. If you discover any errors or mistakes, please alert your manager or contact us.

6.2 W3C Compliance

This manual meets the Double A Standards of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), for example, it can be accessed by people with high levels of visual impairment.

7. Contact us and Alerts

7.1 Comments and Suggestions

If you have any comments or suggestions to make about this manual please contact us by using the 'Contact Us' button on the left hand side of the screen, from anywhere within the manual. Please note, this is for contacting Tri.x about the manual, not for reporting concerns about a child, or raising practice issues.

7.2 Alerts

If you would like to be notified when this manual is updated, register your contact details in 'Contact Us' - on the left hand side of any screen.

8. Copyright

The content of this website can be accessed, printed and downloaded in an unaltered form, on a temporary basis, for personal study or reference purposes. However any content printed or downloaded may not be sold, licensed, transferred, copied or reproduced in whole or in part in any manner or in or on any media to any person without the prior written consent of Tri-X-Childcare Ltd and Calderdale Children's Social Care.

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