Quick Guide |
October 2011
This 'Quick Guide' must be read before accessing the body of the manual.
The table in Section 3, Amendments summarise the changes made in this edition of the manual.
Contents
- Display and Browser Options
- Structure of the Manual
- Amendments
- How to find a Chapter
- Terminology
- Keywords
- Compliance
- Contact us
- Copyright
- Printing and Retaining Copies
1. Display and Browser Options
People with a visual impairment may have difficulty accessing this Manual.
To change the size of the text/layout - please use these accessibility buttons
which are on menu bar on the left side of every screen. Click a larger button to increase your text size, the very largest being high visibility mode.
2. Structure of the Manual
This manual contains all operational procedures for Walsall Children's Services.
In this manual, all Policies, Values and Principles are located in one Chapter, called 'Values' which users are required to familiarise themselves with before proceeding to the main body of the Manual. It is available from the button on the left hand side of the screen. Procedures and Guidance: In an attempt to keep procedures succinct, procedures and more detailed guidance are separated - with links provided as appropriate. 'Procedures' summarise how Managers and Staff must act in given circumstances. 'Guidance' provides direction or advice to a decision or course of action.
We have now made it easy to access the Walsall Safeguarding Children Board Procedures Manual - you can do this by clicking on 'Contents' (at the left hand side of the screen) and then clicking on the button on the bottom left hand side of the screen 'Walsall SCB Procedures'. This will enable you to access the full Contents List of the Walsall SCB Manual. Alternatively there are links directly to the relevant chapter in the Walsall SCB Manual from individual chapters within this manual.
After accessing a chapter in the Walsall SCB Manual, you can close it in the usually way and return to this manual.
3. Amendments
The manual is regularly updated, and after this update, the next planned update will be published in February 2012.
Please forward all comments, contributions or amendments to Dave Trask, Information Analyst, Children and Young People's Performance and Outcomes Team, before 10 January 2010 which is when the planning meeting for the update is scheduled to take place. His email address is traskd@walsall.gov.uk.
For guidance on submitting amendments, go to the Manual Editing Guidance.
When the manual has been updated, and a Chapter has been significantly amended or is new, it will be indicated in the Contents List and at the top of the relevant Chapter.
Amendments - October 2011
The October edition of this manual has been updated in relation to the following Regulations, Guidance and Standards:
- The Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010 (Care Planning Regulations) and Associated Guidance;
- The Care Leavers (England) Regulations 2010 and Associated Guidance;
- The Children's Homes (Amendment) Regulations 2011, Associated Guidance (Volume 5) and National Minimum Standards (NMS);
- The Fostering Services Regulations 2011, Associated Guidance (Volume 4) and National Minimum Standards (NMS);
- The Adoption Guidance and National Minimum Standards.
These came into effect on 1st April 2011. Click here for a summary of the new changes.
Where a chapter has been amended, it is marked as 'updated' in the Contents list and the primary changes are explained at the top of the chapter. Some new chapters have been introduced as a result of the above legislation; they are marked as 'new' in the contents list.
The table below summarises the additions and amendments made:
| Chapters that have been added as a result of the above Regulations | |
| Case Records for Looked After Children | |
| Looked After Children and Young People in Contact with Youth Justice Services Procedure | |
| The Sufficiency Duty in relation to Accommodation for Looked After Children | |
| Out of Area Placements Procedure | |
| Chapters that have been amended as a result of the above Regulations | |
| Chapter Title | Nature of Amendment |
| Decision to Look After a Child Procedure | This chapter has been updated as a result of the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010 and associated guidance. |
| Transition and Leaving Care Procedure | This chapter has been updated as a result of the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010, the Care Leavers (England) Regulations 2011 and the associated guidance. |
| Notifications of Looked After Children Placed in Walsall by Other Local Authorities Procedure | This chapter has been updated as a result of the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010 and associated guidance. |
| Permanence Planning Guidance | This chapter has been updated as a result of the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010 and associated guidance. |
| Contact with Parents and Siblings Procedure | This chapter has been updated as a result of the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010 and associated guidance. |
| Placements in Looked After Services (Children's Homes, Foster Care and External Placements) | This chapter has been updated as a result of the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010 and associated guidance, as well as the Fostering Services Regulations and NMS, 2011. |
| Placement with Parents Procedure | This chapter has been updated as a result of the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010 and associated guidance. |
| Placements with Connected Persons Procedure | This chapter has been updated as a result of the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010 and associated guidance. |
| Looked After Reviews Procedure | This chapter has been updated as a result of the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010 and associated guidance. |
| Placements in Secure Accommodation Procedure | This chapter has been updated as a result of the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010 and associated guidance. |
| Education of Looked After Children and Education of Looked After Children Guidance | This chapter has been updated as a result of the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010 and associated guidance. |
| Independent Reviewing Officers Guidance | This chapter has been updated as a result of the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010 and associated guidance. |
| Health Care Assessments and Health Plans Procedure | This chapter has been updated as a result of the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010 and associated guidance. |
| Recruitment, Assessment and Approval of Foster Carers Procedure | This chapter has been updated as a result of the Fostering Services Regulations and NMS, 2011. |
| Fostering Panel Procedure | This chapter has been updated as a result of the Fostering Services Regulations and NMS, 2011. |
| Exemptions to the Usual Fostering Limit Procedure | This chapter has been updated as a result of the Fostering Services Regulations and NMS, 2011. |
| Persons Disqualified from Fostering Procedure | This chapter has been updated as a result of the Fostering Services Regulations and NMS, 2011. |
| Supervision and Support of Foster Carers Procedure | This chapter has been updated as a result of the Fostering Services Regulations and NMS, 2011. |
| Allegations/Complaints Against Foster Carers Procedure | This chapter has been updated as a result of the Fostering Services Regulations and NMS, 2011. |
| Bedroom Sharing Guidance | This chapter has been updated as a result of the Fostering Services Regulations and NMS, 2011. |
| Adoption Panel Procedure | This chapter has been updated as a result of the Adoption Guidance and NMS, 2011. |
| Assessment and Approval of Agency Adopters Procedure | This chapter has been updated as a result of the Adoption Guidance and NMS, 2011. |
| Placement for Adoption Procedure | This chapter has been updated as a result of the Adoption Guidance and NMS, 2011. |
| Review of Adoptive Placements Procedure | This chapter has been updated as a result of the Adoption Guidance and NMS, 2011. |
| Allegations/Complaints Against Foster Carers Procedure | This chapter has been updated as a result of the Adoption Guidance and NMS, 2011. |
| Assessment and Approval of Agency Adopters Procedure | This chapter has been updated as a result of the Adoption Guidance and NMS, 2011. |
| Adoption Support Services Procedure | This chapter has been updated as a result of the Adoption Guidance and NMS, 2011. |
| Adoption Case Records Procedure | This chapter has been updated as a result of the Adoption Guidance and NMS, 2011. |
| Access by Adoptive Persons to Birth Records and Adoption Case Records Procedure | This chapter has been updated as a result of the Adoption Guidance and NMS, 2011. |
| Short Term Breaks Referrals and Placements Procedure | This chapter has been updated as a result of the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010, Care Leavers Regulations 2011 and associated guidance. |
| Social Worker Visits Procedure | This chapter has been updated as a result of the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010 and associated guidance. |
| Advocacy and Independent Visitors Procedure | This chapter has been updated as a result of the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010 and associated guidance. |
| Care Plans Guidance | This chapter has been updated as a result of the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010 and associated guidance. |
| Friends and Family Care Procedure | This chapter has been updated as a result of the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010 and associated guidance. It was previously referred to as "Kinship Care". |
| In addition the following chapters have been added or updated as a result of local developments | |
| New | |
| Practice Guidance for Assessing Risk to Children who have Substance and/or Alcohol using Parents and/or Carers | |
| Guidance for Decision Making and Continuing to Support Foster Carers who are Placed 'On Hold' | |
| Procedure for Accepting the Resignation of Foster Carers | |
| Procedure for Managing Unallocated Cases within Walsall Vulnerable Children Safeguarding and Family Support Service | |
| Interface Procedure between Walsall's Vulnerable Children Service and Spurgeon's Family Support Service | |
| Updated | |
| Payment for Skills Procedure | Change in relation to amendments/variations to approval capacity, which will result in a change of fee level payable. |
| Private Fostering Procedure | New Section 2.15, Suitability Decisions and 2.16, Private Fostering Scrutiny Panel were added, together with links to the Private Fostering Scrutiny Panel Terms of Reference, and Private Fostering Arrangement Assessment Record. |
| Core Assessments (Child Protection) Procedure | To include (in Section 5, Process), reference to pre-trial therapy and preparation for interviewing a disable child. |
4. How to find a chapter
Procedures and guidance are located in individual 'Chapters' which are available from a 'traditional' Contents List - available via the button on the left hand side of the screen.
4.1 Using the Contents List
Chapters are categorised or grouped together as follows:
PARTS: The manual contains procedures categorised under a number of Service Sectors, like 'Looked After Children',
SECTIONS: Within each Service Sector e.g. 'Looked After Services', you will find a Section (group of procedures) like Placements.
CHAPTERS: Under each Section, you'll find individual Chapters/Procedures e.g. Placement with Parents.
4.2 You can search for a Chapter
If you aren't sure which service or section to look in, try 'Search' |which will help you identify specific Chapters and sub headings within Chapters.
5. Terminology
We believe it is crucial to use consistent terminology, which we agree with individual customers, for example:
| 'Child' or 'Young Person' | both these terms are used to mean any child under the age of 18 |
| 'Parent' | includes 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. |
6. Keywords
The manual is accessed by practitioners from varying agencies, who may find terms that they are not familiar with. Therefore, a large glossary (Keywords) of terms such as Significant Harm (Try it: click on the highlighted text). We call them 'Keywords'. Once clicked, the definitions will appear in a new window or tab, depending on your browser. You can leave it open for reference, or close it using the "close" button at the bottom.
Many Keywords are highlighted in the body of procedures, but you can search for the Keyword you need: Go to the Keywords Index, on the left hand side of the screen.
7. Compliance
7.1 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.
7.2 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. To find out more, click on 'Display Options' on the left hand side of the screen.
8. Contact us
If you have any comments or suggestions to make about this manual please contact us by using the button on the left hand side of the screen, from anywhere within the manual. You can also register your contact details with us via the 'Contact us' button - and we will let you know when the manual has been updated.
9. 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 Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council.
10. Printing and Retaining Copies
The Manual should normally be viewed on line but can be printed, for reference only.
To print a chapter, click on the 
icon which is in the top right hand corner of the relevant procedure
Please note, the Manual will be updated regularly, so staff should avoid retaining printed versions - hard copies are only valid for 72 hours.
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