Using this Manual

This manual is devised to provide you with a set of chapters which comply with and reflect the statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children. The content has been written in a succinct style which is intended to be accessible to a wide range of users from all organisations working with children and families.

The manual has been organised with the Core Procedures in the most prominent place. These chapters explain the actions that must be taken when there are concerns about the welfare of a child.

Chapters which relate to guidance have been written in the form of Safeguarding Practice Guides which capture the most significant points, while avoiding a level of detail which can overwhelm readers.

This is the most recent update of the manual and has been developed through a close working partnership between tri.x and Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board. The manual will continue to be updated bi-annually.

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.

For further details, please contact Carole Kinnell (Carole.Kinnell@oxfordshire.gov.uk).

This manual will be updated on a regular basis and a summary of the changes can be accessed via the 'Amendments' button on the Home page. You will also find the detail of the next planned manual update in this section.

If you would like to suggest a change to the procedures manual discuss your suggestion with your line manager in the first instance.

The next update will be in December 2024.

This manual contains a local resource section 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.

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.

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

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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 Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board.

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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.

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