Using this Manual

This is the latest version of Swindon Children, Families and Community Health Procedure Manual. It is usually updated twice a year to include legislative changes and developments in practice. The current amendments were included to reflect changes in practice guidance and working practices in Swindon. Over time the intention is for the manual to develop and contain resources and documents which assist workers in providing a high quality service to children and families within the Borough.

The next scheduled update will be published in March 2025.

For further details of how you can contribute to this on-going programme of work, please contact Jackie Chipping (JChipping2@swindon.gov.uk).

This quick guide explains how the manual works.

1. About this Manual

This is the updated manual for Swindon Children, Families and Community Health Services and it replaces any previous Swindon Children, Families and Community Health Policies and Procedures. Any copies of these old policies should be discarded.

This manual contains the policies, procedures and guidance for Swindon Children, Families and Community Health. It also contains a Resource Library where you will find many useful assessment tools, longer policy documents and other resources relevant to your role.

For further details of how you can contribute to this on-going programme of work, please contact Rebecca Lafferty, Business Improvement Support Officer, Service Improvement and Quality Assurance Team (RLafferty@swindon.gov.uk) or Jackie Chipping, Principal Social Worker (JChipping2@swindon.gov.uk).

2. Amendments

This manual will be updated on a regular basis and a summary of the new and updated chapters will be located here. The manual will be updated twice a year. The next scheduled update will be in March 2025.

Editing Guide

If you want to make an amendment to an existing chapter in the manual for inclusion at the next update, please contact your Manager.

Amendments Table

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

This shows a brief guide of what has been updated on this occasion. Tri.x retain a full copy of earlier versions of the manual, so if you need to check on the procedures in force at any particular time since 2013 we will be able to provide this for you.

3. Resource library

This manual contains a Resource library which can be accessed via the navigation bar. This library is populated and maintained locally. If there is a resource that you think should be added talk in the first instance to your manager.

4. 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 of 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.

5. 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.

6. Regulatory Compliance

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

7. 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.

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9. 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.

We have also taken steps to ensure that our site configuration supports the accessibility features of the recommended browsers (see below).

Each browser has different functions, and there is guidance available online about how to use these functions:

Click here to read guidance on accessibility features for Internet Explorer 11.

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Click here to read guidance on accessibility features for Google Chrome.

Click here to read guidance on accessibility features for Mozilla Firefox.

Click here to read guidance on accessibility features for Apple Safari.

10. Printing and Retaining Copies

The Manual is intended to be viewed online to ensure only the most up-to-date version of procedures are being used. However, there will be times when hardcopies of chapters will need to be printed, the printer icon at the top right of every page will link to the printer setup page.

11. 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.

Recommended browsers are:

12. 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.