Using this Manual

This is the updated manual for Birmingham Children's Trust and it replaces any previous Birmingham Children's Trust Policies. Any copies of these old policies should be discarded.

Note: Within Birmingham Children's Trust the children and young people we care for are known as Children in Care. However, you will find the term Looked After Children used throughout this manual as this is the term used in the legislation and statutory guidance.

1. About this Manual

This is the manual for Birmingham Children's Trust If you have any queries or ideas about any additional practice guidance that would be helpful, please get in touch with the Practice Hub Policy Support Service at: policy@birminghamchildrenstrust.co.uk

2. Amendments

This manual will be updated on a twice yearly basis and a summary of the new and updated chapters will be located here. The next planned manual update will be in February 2025.

If you would like to make an amendment to an existing chapter of this manual for the next update, or if you have any queries or suggestions, please contact the Practice Hub Policy Support Service at: policy@birminghamchildrenstrust.co.uk

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. Where new chapters have been introduced, they are marked as 'new' in the contents list.

Click here to view details of updates made to this manual.

3. Practice Guidance

This manual contains a document library named Practice Guidance which reflects the structure of the contents list and can be accessed via the button on the toolbar at the top of your screen. The Practice Guidance is populated and maintained locally. If there is a resource that you think should be added talk in the first instance to the Practice Hub Policy Support Service at: policy@birminghamchildrenstrust.co.uk

4. Glossary and National Contacts

The manual is accessed by readers who may find terms that they are not familiar with. Therefore, a glossary of definitions is available under the resource tab.

There is also a National Contacts resource populated with details of key national agencies and organisations likely to be relevant to procedures user.

5. Regulatory Compliance

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

These procedures use the word ‘must’ where the provision is a legal requirement. The word ‘should’ is used where the provision should be complied with but is not a legal requirement, such as where it is taken from non-statutory government guidance or accepted good practice.

6. Register for Updates

We recommend that you register with us to automatically receive notification when this manual is updated, and to receive a monthly newsletter containing articles which may be of interest. Click on the 'Register for Updates' button on the home screen, to complete and send your details to us.

We will manage your data respectfully and in accordance with your preferences and we will never share your data with other organisations for marketing or other purposes.

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. 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 and Birmingham Children's Trust.

8. Accessibility

This website aims to achieve Double-A conformance to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines in accordance with government guidelines. In order to change font size or manual colour use the highlighted 'Accessibility' button at the top right hand corner of any page.

9. Printing and Retaining Copies

The Manual is intended to be viewed on line to ensure only the most up-to-date version of procedures are being used. It will be updated regularly so, in the unlikely event there is a requirement for hard copies they should be destroyed after 72 hours.

10. Browser Recommendations

It is recommended that this manual is viewed with the latest browsers, with Java Script and cookies enabled for maximum compatibility and functionality.

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11. Mobile/Tablet Compatibility

This manual has been tested on a variety of mobile devices to ensure that it displays correctly. If you are using an older mobile device it is possible that the manual will not display correctly.

If you would like the text to be larger, resize the text under the accessibility options, alternatively if you would also like the buttons and the rest of the layout to be enlarged you can use the zoom function within your browser.

The majority of devices have the functionality to allow a shortcut to be downloaded to the homescreen by loading the site using the 'url' and using the upload function and tapping 'Add to Home Screen'. The functionality may vary between devices, please refer to the manufacturer's instructions.