Amendments

In May 2024, 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.

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

In May 2024, Section 2, Ordinary Residence was updated in line with case law.

This chapter was revised throughout to reflect revised Working Together to Safeguard Children.

This chapter was refreshed in May 2024.

This chapter was amended in May 2024 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.

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

This chapter was revised throughout to reflect revised Working Together to Safeguard Children.

This chapter was refreshed in May 2024.

In May 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. Also to include information from Guidance - Placing Children: Deprivation of Liberty Orders (Ofsted)- guidance for providers, social workers and placement commissioners on placing children, subject to a deprivation of liberty order (DoL), in unregistered settings.

In May 2024, additional information was added about online safety.

In May 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 May 2024, 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.

In May 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 May 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 May 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 November 2023, information in relation to allergies was added into Section 4, Health Plans.

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

This chapter was added in November 2023.

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

This chapter was amended in November 2023 to note that with effect from 1 April 2023, the leaving care allowance increased from £2,000 to £3,000. It was also revised to include information from the revised Ofsted inspection framework.

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

In November 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.

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

In November 2023, information in relation to allergies was added into Section 6, Diet, Nutrition and Allergies.

In November 2023, this chapter was amended to include information from Annex to MOJ Circular 2022/03: Additional Information on Remand to Local Authority Accommodation (RLAA).

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

In November 2023, this chapter refreshed throughout and replaces the previous version.

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