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Quick Guide

Manual Version June 2011

This 'Quick Guide' must be read before accessing the body of the manual.


Contents

  1. Display and Browser Options
  2. Structure of the Manual
  3. Amendments
  4. How to find a Chapter
  5. Terminology
  6. Keywords
  7. Compliance
  8. Contact us
  9. Copyright
  10. 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

smallmediumlargehivis

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 Section 6 of the Herefordshire Children's Services Procedures and relates to Adoption and Special Guardianship.

In this manual, the Functions, Principles and Responsibilities for the Adoption Service in  Herefordshire  are located in one Chapter, called 'Values', which is available from the left hand side of the screen.

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.

There is a Forms button on the left hand side of the screen. Practitioners who have access to the Herefordshire Intranet will be able to access an index of forms by clicking on this button. For other users of the manual, this link will not be available.


3. Amendments

All the procedure and guidance chapters in relation to Adoption and Special Guardianship have been updated to take account of the changes that have occurred to the way the Adoption Service operates, and in line with the Adoption National Minimum Standards and Guidance 2011 - for details, please see the Adoption Guidance and National Minimum Standards 2011 - Summary of Changes.


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 grouped together into 6 Parts: Adoption, Special Guardianship, Flowcharts, Guidance, Other Related Documents and Appendices.

CHAPTERS: Under each Part, 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

'Child' or 'Young Person' both these terms are used to mean any child under the age of 18
'Parent' means parent or 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.


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.


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 Herefordshire Council.


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 print icon 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.

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