Main Policies


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This contents list is sub divided into the following sections, each Section contains relevant Chapters/Policies: (Click on the title to jump to the Section you require):

  1. All Children
  2. Family Support
  3. Assessment and Short Term Intervention
  4. Safeguarding
  5. Children in Care
  6. Fostering and Adoption
  7. Children in Particular Circumstances
  8. Case Management and Recording
  9. Appendices


1. All Children

1.1

Policy, Values and Principles

  
1.1.1 Our Vision and Purpose  
1.1.2 Confidentiality Policy  
1.1.3 Consultation Policy  
1.1.4 Equality and Diversity  
1.1.5 Birmingham Children's Trust Scheme of Operational Delegated Decision Making  


 

1.2

Thresholds for Children's Trust Services

  
1.2.1 Threshold Document - Right Help, Right Time  
1.2.2 Working Together to Safeguard Children  


 

1.3

Complaints and Whistleblowing

  
1.3.1 Complaints and Representations  
1.3.2 Resolution and Escalation Protocol  
1.3.3 Whistleblowing  


2. Family Support

2.1 Early Help Assessment  
2.2 Children Receiving Services as Children in Need  


3. Assessment and Short Term Intervention

3.1

Children's Trust - Assessment and Planning

  
3.1.1 Pre-Birth  
3.1.2 Initial Contacts and Referrals to the Children's Advice and Support Service (CASS) Updated
3.1.3 Assessments and the ASTI Teams Updated
3.1.4 Child Protection Enquiries
(Regional Child Protection Procedures for West Midlands)		  
3.1.5 Allocation of Work and Transfer between Teams  
3.1.6 Good Practice - Assessment Planning Intervention  


4. Safeguarding

4.1 Family-led Practice  
4.2 Family Networks and Family Group Decision Making New
4.3 Regional Child Protection Procedures
(This includes information about the Initial Child Protection Conference, Review Child Protection Conference, Child Protection Plan, Core Groups, Pre-proceeding and Statutory Visits to Children on a CP Plan).		  


5. Children in Care

5.1

Decision to Look After and Care Planning

  
5.1.1 Decision to Look After  
5.1.2 Care Planning  
5.1.3 Local Authority's Sufficiency Duty - Accommodation for Children in Care  
5.1.4 Permanence Guidance  
  See also: Early Permanence: Fostering for Adoption, Concurrent Planning and Temporary Approval as Foster Carers of Approved Prospective Adopters  
5.1.5 Connected Person Foster Carers & Special Guardianship Order (SGO) Assessments  
5.1.6 Placement Planning and Disruption Meetings  
5.1.7 Placements in Foster Care  
5.1.8 Placements in Residential Care  
5.1.9 Remands to Local Authority Accommodation or to Youth Detention Accommodation  
5.1.10 Out of Area Placements  
5.1.11 Placements with Connected Persons Updated
5.1.12 Placements in Secure Accommodation on Welfare Grounds  
5.1.13 Placements with Parents  
5.1.14 Placements Outside England and Wales  
5.1.15 Placements in Other Arrangements  
5.1.16 Notifications from Other Local Authorities/Placement Providers  
5.1.17 Delegation of Authority to Foster Carers and Residential Workers  
5.1.18 Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority Claims for Children in Care  
5.1.19 Risk Assessment and Planning  
5.1.20 Health and Safety  
5.1.21 Providing Personalised Care  
  See also: NICE Guideline: Looked After Children and Young People  
  and Children and Young People in Care in Contact with Youth Justice Services  


 

5.2

Monitoring and Reviews

  
5.2.1 Social Worker Visits to Children in Care  
5.2.2 Advocacy and Independent Visitors  
5.2.3 Children in Care Reviews  
5.2.4 Appointment and Role of Independent Reviewing Officers  
5.2.5 Independent Reviewing officer (IRO) Dispute and Escalation Procedure  
5.2.6 Secure Accommodation (Criteria) Reviews  
5.2.7 Notifications of Significant Events Updated
5.2.8 Ceasing to Look After a Child  


 

5.3

Contact and Overnight Stays

  
  See also: Delegation of Authority to Foster Carers and Residential Workers  
5.3.1 Family Time with Parents/Adults and Siblings  
5.3.2 Social Visits (Including Overnight Stays)  


 

5.4

Education, School Trips and Holidays

  
  See also: Delegation of Authority to Foster Carers and Residential Workers  
5.4.1 Consents for Children in Care  
5.4.2 Holidays and School Trips In and Outside the UK  
5.4.3 Supporting the Education and Promoting the Achievement of Children with a Social Worker, Looked After and Previously Looked After Children Updated
5.4.4 Leisure Activities  


 

5.5

Health and Wellbeing

  
5.5.1 Health Care Assessments and Plans  
5.5.2 Personal Care and Relationships  
5.5.3 Positive Relationships and Behaviour Management  
5.5.4 Restrictive Physical Intervention and Restraint  


 

5.6

Identity

  
5.6.1 Change of Name of a Child in Care  
5.6.2 Life Story Books Guidance  
5.6.3 Later Life Letters  


 

5.7

Leaving Care and Transition

  
5.7.1 Leaving Care and Transition  
5.7.2 Staying Put Arrangements Updated


 

5.8

Children Involved in the Youth Justice System

  
  See also: Children Involved in the Youth Justice System Additional National Guidance Updated
5.8.1 Children and Young People in Care in Contact with Youth Justice Services  
5.8.2 Responsibilities of the Local Authority to Former Children and Young People in Care in Custody  
  See also: Remands to Local Authority Accommodation or to Youth Detention Accommodation  


 

5.9

Financial

  
5.9.1 18+ Care Leavers Service Financial Support Policy  
  See also: Responsibilities of the Local Authority to Former Children and Young People in Care in Custody  
5.9.2 Child Trust Funds (CTFs) and Junior Individual Savings Accounts (JISAs) for Children Who Are in Care Continuously for 12 Months Plus  
5.9.3 Direct Payments  


6. Fostering and Adoption

6.1

Fostering Services

  
  See also: Birmingham Foster Carers Handbook  
6.1.1 Family and Friends Policy  
6.1.2 Private Fostering  
6.1.3 Prevention of Homelessness and Provision of Accommodation for 16 and 17 Year Olds who may be Homeless and/or Require Accommodation; and Duty to Refer  
6.1.4 Fostering Panel  
6.1.5 Persons Disqualified from Fostering and Adoption  
6.1.6 The Specified Offences for Which an Individual is Deemed Unsuitable to Foster or Adopt a Child  
6.1.7 Responding to Disclosure of Criminal Offences  
6.1.8 Policy on the Use of Physical Restraint in Foster Homes  
6.1.9 Assessment and Approvals of Foster Carers Updated
6.1.10 Exemptions and Extensions/Variations to Foster Carer Approval  
6.1.11 Supervision and Support of Foster Carers Updated
6.1.12 Review and Termination of Approval of Foster Carers  
6.1.13 Allegations Against Foster Carers  
  See also: Early Permanence: Fostering for Adoption, Concurrent Planning and Temporary Approval as Foster Carers of Approved Prospective Adopters  
6.1.14 Fostering Payments  
6.1.15 Foster Carer Reviews  
6.1.16 Training and Development of Foster Carers  


 

6.2

Adoption and Permanence Services

  
6.2.1 Recruitment, Assessment and Approvals of Prospective Adopters  
6.2.2 Adoption Panel  
6.2.3 Placement for Adoption  
6.2.4 Relinquished Children  
6.2.5 Adoption Support  
6.2.6 Monitoring and Supervision of Adoptive Placements  
6.2.7 Adoption Reviews  
6.2.8 Disruption of Adoptive Placements  
6.2.9 Allegations Against Prospective Adopters and in Relation to Children Placed for Adoption or Already Adopted  
6.2.10 Inter Country Adoption  
6.2.11 Non Agency Adoption  
6.2.12 Adoption Case Records  
6.2.13 Access to Birth Records and Adoption Case Records  
6.2.14 Intermediary Services for Individuals Who Have Been Adopted  
6.2.15 Applications for Special Guardianship Orders Updated
6.2.16 Allowances under a Child Arrangement Order  
6.2.17 Court Reports in Adoption/Special Guardianship Guidance  
6.2.18 Early Permanence: Fostering for Adoption, Concurrent Planning and Temporary Approval as Foster Carers of Approved Prospective Adopters  
6.2.19 Application to Court for an Adoption Order  
6.2.20 Arranging the Adoption of a Relinquished Child Updated


7. Children in Particular Circumstances

7.1 Child Exploitation (CE) - Practice Guidance for Children's Services  
7.2 Non-recent Abuse Policy and Practice Guidance  
7.3 Missing from Home or Care (Under 18 years) - Practice Guidance for Children's Services  
7.4 Marriage/Civil Partnership of a Child in Care  
7.5 Female Genital Mutilation  
7.6 Young Carers Updated
7.7 Serious Incident Notification Policy & Procedure (Child Safeguarding Practice & Review 'Panel') Updated
7.8 Short Breaks  


 

7.9

Children with Disabilities

  
7.9.1 Children and Young People Aged 0-25 with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Updated
7.9.2 Placing and Visiting Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities or Health Conditions in Long-Term Residential Settings  
7.9.3 Capacity and Consent  
7.9.4 Overview of Deprivations of Liberty  
7.9.5 Mental Capacity Resource  


 

7.10

Children from Abroad

  
7.10.1 Unaccompanied Children from Abroad and Child Victims of Trafficking and Modern Slavery Updated
7.10.2 Families with No Recourse to Public Funds Updated


 

7.11

Mental Health and Wellbeing

  
7.11.1 Aftercare under Section 117 of the Mental Health Act 1983  
7.11.2 Access to Secondary Healthcare (e.g. CYPMHS) Services - for Children in Care Living Out of Area  


 

7.12

Court Proceedings

  
7.12.1 Applications for Emergency Protection Orders  
7.12.2 Care and Supervision Proceedings and the Public Law Outline Updated
7.12.3 Legal Gateway/Planning Meetings  
7.12.4 Disclosure of Information between Family and Criminal Agencies and Jurisdictions (2024 Protocol) Updated
  See also: Cross-border Child Protection Cases: The 1996 Hague Convention  
  and Family Justice Resource Hub (ADCS) - This hosts a series of practical resources, such as templates, tools and practice guidance, which will be of interest to those working in the family justice system.  
7.12.5 Discharge of a Care Order  
7.12.6 Revocation of a Placement Order  
7.12.7 Section 7 and Section 37 Reports  


8. Case Management and Recording

8.1 Recording Policy and Guidelines  
8.2 Case Records and Retention Updated
8.3 Access to Records  
8.4 Storage of Data on Mobile Devices  


9. Appendices

9.1 Ofsted Inspection Framework  
9.2 Amendments