Using this Manual

This is the updated manual for Swindon Borough Council Children’s 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 includes a Resource Library where you will find many useful assessment tools, longer policy documents and other resources relevant to your role.

This manual will be updated regularly, and a summary of the changes can be accessed via the 'Amendments' button on the Home page. The manual will be updated twice a year. The next scheduled update will be in March 2026.

If you want to suggest an amendment to an existing chapter in the manual for inclusion at the next update, please get in touch with your Manager.

The Amendments Table shows a brief guide of what has been updated on this occasion. tri.x retains 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.

This manual contains a Resource Library, which can be accessed via the navigation bar. If there is a resource that you think should be added, talk in the first instance to your manager. The nominated administrator for this area will be able to access online training in the use of the area from tri.x.

This library is populated and maintained locally and not by tri.x.

tri.x will not be responsible for content which is added to this area, and any concerns should be directed to the contact person with responsibility for the procedures.

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 procedure users.

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

We recommend that you register with us to receive notification when this manual is updated automatically, 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, in accordance with your preferences, and never share it with other organisations for marketing or other purposes.

The content of this website can be accessed, printed and downloaded in an unaltered form, temporarily, 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 Swindon Borough Council.

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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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Users can print individual chapters FOR REFERENCE. The whole manual CANNOT be printed out. The manual is updated regularly; therefore, hard copies could be out of date.

How to print from your desktop

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2. In the top right corner of the screen, click on: 3 vertical dots in Google, three horizontal dots in Bing, three stacked lines in Brave and open the print function;
3. Enter your printing settings: this will include (i) selecting the printer you want to use; (ii) choosing the page orientation, and (iii) selecting what pages should be included, etc.);
4. Once everything is set, click "Print."

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Recommended browsers are:

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• Google Chrome;
• Mozilla Firefox;
• Apple Safari.

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.

To increase the text size, use the accessibility options to resize it. Alternatively, if you'd like to enlarge the buttons and layout, you can use your browser's zoom function.

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