Using this Manual

This is the regional procedures manual for the following Safeguarding Children Partnerships:

• Gateshead;
• Newcastle;
• North Tyneside;
• Northumberland;
• South Tyneside;
• Sunderland.

It sets out regionally agreed procedures across all areas, together with additional local information for each area.

For further information, contact:

• Gateshead - AnnaHarrisonCWL@gateshead.gov.uk
• Newcastle - mark.quinn@newcastle.gov.uk
• North Tyneside - Sue.Burns@northtyneside.gov.uk
• Northumberland - Saira.Park@northumberland.gov.uk
• South Tyneside - STSCAP@Southtyneside.gov.uk
• Sunderland - jennifer.beer@togetherforchildren.org.uk

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.

This manual will be updated regularly, and a summary of the changes can be accessed via the 'Amendments' button on the Home page.

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 of the procedures will take place in May 2026.

This manual includes a local resources section, accessible via the navigation bar. If you think there is a resource that should be added, talk to your manager in the first instance.

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 added to this area, and any concerns should be directed to the contact person responsible for the procedures.

The manual is accessed by readers who may encounter unfamiliar terms. 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 and in accordance with your preferences and we will never share your data 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 the North and South of Tyne Safeguarding Children Partnership.

tri.x is committed to ensuring its platform is accessible to all users and has embedded accessibility into its design, development, and testing processes. The platform is currently partially conformant with WCAG 2.2 Level AA, meaning most content meets accessibility requirements, with ongoing improvements to areas such as form behaviour, colour contrast, control sizing & responsiveness.

Accessibility is regularly reviewed through internal assessments, automated testing tools, audits, and user feedback, with amendments evaluated on each release. tri.x supports modern browsers and assistive technologies and now includes a text-to-speech feature to further support users with visual impairments. Users are encouraged to report any accessibility issues so they can be triaged and addressed in future releases.

For more information please see: Accessibility Statement for tri.x online.

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

Please use the Printer icon at the top of each chapter, this will prepare the chapter for printing.

It is recommended that this manual be viewed with the latest browsers, with JavaScript and cookies enabled for maximum compatibility and functionality.

Recommended browsers are:

• Microsoft Edge (Windows 10);
• 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, the manual may not display correctly.

If you would like the text to be larger, resize the text under accessibility options. Alternatively, if you would also like the buttons and the rest of the layout enlarged, you can use the zoom function in your browser.

The majority of devices have the functionality to download a shortcut to the homescreen by loading the site with the 'url', using the upload function, and tapping 'Add to Home Screen'. The functionality may vary between devices; please refer to the manufacturer's instructions.