Quick Guide |
November 2011
Welcome to this the ninth edition of the Bradford Department of Services to Children and Young People Procedures Manual.
Previous versions of the manual have been archived.
This manual is regularly updated and it is next due to be updated in May 2012. However, if there is something urgent that needs to be attended to, please either use the Contact Us button on the left hand side of your screen, or contact Melanie Smith.
Tenth Edition
Please see the list in section three, which outlines the chapters that are new to this edition, and those which have been updated. All these chapters are marked as 'New' or 'Updated' on the contents list. The scope box at the head of these chapters identifies when they were added and what the nature of the amendment is.
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 the policies, procedures and guidance for the Department of Services to Children and Young People.
Policies Values and Principles: In this manual, all Bradford Children's Services Policies, Values and Principles are located in one Chapter called 'Values' which users can access using the buttons on the left of the screen, users are required to familiarise themselves with them before proceeding to the main body of the Manual.
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.
3. Amendments (updated)
The table below includes a comprehensive list of the updates and the new chapters and amendments.
| New Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Features |
| Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme for Children and Young People | This chapter was introduced to the manual in November 2011 to explain the process for making claims from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme for Children in Need and Looked After children and young people. |
| Protocol Regarding Health Assessments - Who Does What | This protocol explains the roles and expectations of the professionals engaged in Health Assessments. |
| Agreed Standards of Practice Letter from Julie Jenkins | This letter was added to the manual and linked to the chapters on:
|
| Reviewing Children Who Receive Short Term Breaks | This chapter explains the circumstances in which children can receive short term breaks and the process for reviewing their plan. |
| Looked After Children and Young People in Contact with Youth Justice Services | This chapter was introduced to the manual following the Care Planning and Associated Regulations 2010 to clarify the arrangements for when Looked After Children are in contact with the Youth Offending Team. |
| The Children’s Homes manual and the Children’s Services manual | Where the Children’s Homes manual has a dedicated chapter on a similar theme, this is now noted in the Children’s Services manual. |
| Looked After Children Sufficiency | The Commissioning Plan explains how Bradford seeks to meet the placement needs of Looked After Children as locally as possible. |
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Name | Change |
| Disabled Children | This chapter was revised to include a link to the Disabled Children Information leaflet: The Guide. |
| Protocol between Occupational Therapy Department and Children's Social Care Services | This chapter was updated to include the contact details of the Adult Services Access Point and to identify that the Children and Young Person’s Occupational Therapy Team will screen contacts. |
| Transition Arrangements for Young People with a Learning Disability | Section 5 (Practicalities) was amended in to clarify the recording arrangements. |
| Transition Planning for Disabled Children | This chapter was amended in November 2011 to clarify the arrangements for the Multi-Agency transition Plan for Disabled Children over the age of 14 and to clarify the Bradford Transition Pathway. |
| Services for Children who have Learning Disabilities - Short Breaks; Behavioural Services | This chapter was amended in to include section 1 which explains the way in which children receive short-term breaks and to update the services which are available. |
| Edge of Care/Prevention and Family Support Services | This chapter was extracted from the section on disabled children and moved to Services for Children in Need. |
| Transition Arrangements between the Department of Services to Children and Young People and the Sensory Needs Service | This chapter was updated to clarify the recording arrangements. |
| Transition Arrangements between the Department of Services to Children and Young People and the Physical Disabilities Team | This chapter was updated to clarify the recording arrangements and the responsibilities of the Physical disabilities Team. |
| Health Care Assessments | A link to the Protocol for Health Care Assessments- who Does What was added to this chapter. |
| Comments, Complaints and Compliments | This chapter was amended to clarify the differences in the responsibilities of the Customer Care and Complaints Unit and the Customer Care Manager. |
| Legal Chapters | This section has been re-organised and now includes legal letters, agendas and flowcharts. |
| Looked After Reviews | This chapter became compliant with the Care Planning Regulations 2010 in July 2011. The chapter was further revised and the main changes are:
These changes relate to the Standards of Practice Letter. |
| Route Map for Looked After Children | This has been revised in relation to the Care Planning Regulations 2010. |
The next revision of the manual will be published in May 2012.
Your comments are welcome and as a user of this manual you might have a suggestion that hasn't been considered, so please use the contact us button on the left of the screen to bring your view to our attention.
4. How to find a Chapter
Procedures and guidance are located in individual 'Chapters' which are available from a 'traditional' Contents List - 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 'Adoption and Permanence'.
CHAPTERS: Under each Section, you'll find individual Chapters/Procedures e.g. 'Adoption Case Records' 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:
| '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 |
| '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 |
| '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. |
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. Or, use 'Search'.
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.
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 Bradford Department of Services to Children and Young People.
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.
End