Amendments
August 2024
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Title | Details |
| Statement of Purpose | The Seeds and Apple Trees Statements of Purpose have been updated. |
| Drugs | This chapter has been updated. |
| Smoking | This chapter has been refreshed. |
| Recognising Abuse and Neglect | Definitions have been updated in line with revised Working Together to Safeguard Children. |
| Child Criminal Exploitation and County Lines | Minor amendments have been made to definitions in line with Working Together to Safeguard Children. |
| New Chapters and Features | |
| Female Genital Mutilation | This chapter has been added. |
| Next Update: February 2025 |
February 2024
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Title | Details |
| Statement of Purpose | The Seeds and Apple Trees Statements of Purpose have been updated. These can be found at the end of this chapter. |
| Missing Children | This chapter has been updated throughout. |
| Leadership and Management | Section 2.2, Appointment of Manager has been updated in line with updated Ofsted Guidance - Social Care Common Inspection Framework: Children's Homes. |
| Staffing and Safe Recruitment | Two new subsections: 2.8, Prospective Staff Spending Time in the Home and 2.9, Carrying Out Interviews have been added in line with updated Ofsted guidance. A link has also been added to information on DBS Digital Identity Verification Guidance. |
August 2023
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Title | Details |
| Statement of Purpose | The Seeds and Apple Trees Statements of Purpose have been updated. These can be found at the end of the chapter. |
| Health Care Assessments and Plans | Information in relation to allergies has been added into Section 2, Health Care Plans. |
| Provision and Preparation of Meals | Information in relation to allergies has been added into Section 1, Responsibility and Risk Assessments. |
| First Aid, Home Remedies and Medication | A new Section 2, Allergies has been added. |
| Positive Intervention and Restraint | This chapter has been updated to incorporate Ofsted feedback. Added into Section 4.1, Staff Training: 'This training will be refreshed on an annual basis'. Information on holding a restorative conversation with the child following physical intervention or restraint added into Section 8, Recording and Management Review. |
| Allegations Against Staff | This chapter has been amended in line with revised Keeping Children Safe in Education. A new Section 2, The Difference Between an Allegation of Harm and a Concern has been added. |
| Self Harm and Suicidal Behaviour | This chapter has been amended to include a link to Self-harm: Assessment, Management and Preventing Recurrence NICE Guidance into Further Information. |
| Staffing and Safe Recruitment | This chapter has been amended in line with revised statutory guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education. Information has been added to note that Keeping Children Safe in Education provides that copies of a curriculum vitae should only be accepted alongside an application form as a curriculum vitae on its own may not provide adequate information. Information has also been added in relation to online searches. |
| New Chapters and Features | |
| Chapter Title | Details |
| Supporting Children and Young People with Disabilities | This chapter has been added. |
February 2023
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Title | Details |
| Statement of Purpose | The Seeds and Apple Trees Statements of Purpose have been updated. |
| Providing Personalised Care | This chapter has been refreshed. |
| Case Recording | This chapter has been refreshed. |
| Family Time with Parents/Adults and Siblings | Section 3, Supervised Family Time has been updated to reflect a finding by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman that the supervisor's observations of the contact must be clearly recorded in the child's record and shared with the parents within 3 months of the visit. |
| Staying in Touch, the Safe Use of the Internet, Social Media and Taking Photographs | This chapter has been given a refresh in line with local procedures. Section 1, Risks has been added as part of this refresh. |
| Advocacy, Independent Visitors and Independent Reviewing Officers | This chapter has been refreshed. |
| Education | This chapter has been amended. |
| Leisure and Activities | This chapter has been refreshed. |
| Health and Wellbeing, Health Notifications and Access to Services | This chapter has been refreshed. |
| Positive Behaviour Management Policy | This policy has been updated. |
| Searching Children/Bedrooms | This chapter has been refreshed. |
| Surveillance and Monitoring | This chapter has been refreshed. |
| Organisational Structure/Manager Contacts | This document has been updated. |
| Staffing and Safe Recruitment | This chapter has been refreshed. |
| Staff Supervision and Support | This chapter has been refreshed. |
| Placements and Admissions | This chapter has been refreshed. |
| Care and Placement Planning | This chapter has been refreshed. |
| Looked After Reviews and Disruption Meetings | This chapter has been refreshed. |
| New Chapters and Features | |
| Chapter Title | Details |
| Equality and Diversity | This chapter has been added to the manual. |
| Consultation and Participation | This chapter has been added to the manual. |
| Whistleblowing or Raising Concerns at Work or Raising Concerns at Work | This chapter has been added to the manual. |
| Health and Safety | This chapter has been added to the manual. |
| Risk Assessment and Planning | This chapter has been added to the manual. |
| Leadership and Management | This chapter has been added to the manual. |
| Recording and Reporting of Accidents | This chapter has been added to the manual. |
September 2022
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Title | Details |
| Statement of Purpose | Lytham Road and Apple Trees Statement of Purpose has been updated. |
| Organisational Structure / Manager Contacts (2022) | This PDF has been updated. |
August 2022
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Title | Details |
| Statement of Purpose | This chapter has been updated. |
| Social Visits (Including Overnight Stays) | This chapter has been updated. |
| Staying in Touch, the Safe Use of the Internet, Social Media and Taking Photographs | A link has been added to the Childrens Commissioner report Taking to Your Child About Online Sexual Harassment. A link to the Toolkit for Parents and Carers, produced by Childnet has been also added. |
| Social Worker Visits | This chapter has been updated. |
| Education | This chapter has been amended to reflect Keeping Children Safe in Education Statutory Guidance and the outcome of Ofsted's thematic report, Review of sexual abuse in schools and colleges. Please see Section 4, Safeguarding in Schools. New Sections 2.1, Placing the Child and Section 2.2, The Role of the Virtual Head (VSH) have been added and additional material has enhanced the Personal Education Plans (PEPs). Section 4, Safeguarding in Schools has been updated to reflect the importance of sharing allegations or concerns about an adult's behaviour as set out in Keeping Children Safe in Education. |
| Transporting Children | This chapter has been updated. |
| Health Care Assessments and Plans | This chapter has been updated. |
| Blood Borne Viruses (BBVs) | This chapter has been updated. |
| Provision and Preparation of Meals | This chapter has been updated. |
| Smoking | This chapter has been updated. |
| First Aid, Home Remedies and Medication | This chapter has been updated. |
| Key Worker Guidance | This chapter has been updated. |
| Positive Intervention and Restraint | A link to Ofsted Guidance Positive Environments Where Children Can Flourish has been added. |
| Countering Bullying and Peer Abuse | This chapter has been amended to reflect Keeping Children Safe in Education Statutory Guidance, the outcome of Ofsted's thematic report, Review of sexual abuse in schools and colleges and the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. See Section 2, Definition of Bullying and Peer Abuse and Section 3, Responding to Bullying. |
| Recognising Abuse and Neglect | This chapter has been updated. |
| Safeguarding Children and Young People from Sexual Exploitation | This chapter has been updated. |
| Allegations Against Staff | KCSIE highlights the importance of sharing and responding to any concerns, about the behaviour of an adult who works with children, no matter how small. This chapter has been revised to also consider low level concerns, with a new section added in relation to the differences between an 'allegation' and a concern. |
| Visitors to the Home | This chapter has been updated. |
| Organisational Structure / Manager Contacts (2022) | This PDF has been updated. |
| Notification of Serious Events | This chapter has been updated. |
| Lone Working | This chapter has been updated. |
| Referrals, Placements and Admissions | This chapter has been amended to note the importance of a child's belonging's being transferred in appropriate luggage and to add a link to the NYAS 'My Things Matter' Report – support and respect care-experienced children and their belongings when they move (see Section 3, Admission). |
| Preparation for Leaving Care | This chapter has been updated. |
| Moving to Another Placement | This chapter has been amended to add a link to the NYAS 'My Things Matter' Report – support and respect care-experienced children and their belongings when they move (see Section 2, Arrangements for the transfer to Another Home). |
| New Chapters and Features | |
| Chapter Title | Details |
| Alcohol | This chapter has been added. |
| Offending and Anti-Social Behaviour – Guidance on when to Involve the Police | This chapter has been added. |
February 2022
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Title | Details |
| Residential Child Care - Key Principles | This chapter has been given a general refresh. |
| Staying in Touch, the Safe Use of the Internet, Social Media and Taking Photographs | Links have been added in Relevant Guidance to the NSPCC Report Remove Tool and the UK Council for Internet Safety (UKCIS) Digital Passport. |
