About Children and Families

Only send records that legally need to be kept.

Check the Information Asset Register for information regarding how long records need to be kept. 

If you're still unsure about whether you need to send records to offsite storage, email digitisation@cheshireeast.gov.uk for more advice.

Policies and procedures

It is more cost effective to transfer multiple boxes to our off-site storage at the same time. Wait until your service has at least 5 but no more than 30 boxes ready to collect before asking to arrange a collection.

Or, try and coordinate with another service in your building that has requested a collection.

When archiving records, remove:

• Paperclips and bulldog clips
• Pins and sharp objects
• Metal-ended tags
• Rubber bands

Damp or damaged records

Store any damp or damaged records separately and securely. Keep them apart from records that are not damp or damaged.

Notify the Records Management team as soon as possible

Livewell

Request boxes and labels 

•  Request flat pack boxes and box barcode labels using the Flat Pack Request Form.
• Our off-site provider recently changed their box barcode labels. The new labels you receive will say 'Oasis' and have an eight-digit barcode number starting with '0'. If your service still has labels beginning with 'DSB0', please dispose of them and contact the Records Management team to request new labels.
• If you only require box barcode labels, email digitisation@cheshireeast.gov.uk.
• It might also be handy to open the Information Asset Register in the background to refer to.

Assembling and packing a box

• Assemble the required number of flat pack boxes. Always make sure that you attach a box lid to the box. Attach one box barcode label to the short end of each new box.
• When placing your records into a box, aim to place the same type of records together. For example, adoption records in one box, and invoices in another box. This is so the appropriate retention date can be applied to the box. Boxes should not be filled too full and should be easily liftable. Records should be handled with care when placing them into boxes to avoid damage.

Complete the box content form

Each box will need a box contents form (MS Word, 100KB). We recommend doing it as you go along.

To complete a box contents form you must include:

• Account Code - the form has a drop-down list with options for you to choose from
• Box Barcode Number - this is the number on the box barcode label that you have attached to the box - our off-site provider has recently changed their box barcode labels. The barcode on the new labels have an eight-digit number starting with '0'.
• Box/Asset Number - your service may have a numbering system it uses to keep track of boxes, or alternatively re-enter the box barcode number.
• Destruction Date - use the Information Asset Register to help determine an appropriate destruction date, if you need further help email digitisation@cheshireeast.gov.uk, do not leave blank.
• File Number - numbers unique to the document, such as DOBs, social service numbers, planning application numbers, etc.
• File Description - a brief description of each document, just long enough that someone outside your service can understand what the document is.

Place a copy of the box contents form inside the box. It is advisable to keep a copy for your services own reference.

 The key pieces of Metadata (MS Excel, 123KB) guidance will help with what data should be included when completing a box contents form.

Arranging for your box to be collected 

Fill your box and complete New Intake of Assets Form

Wait until you have at least 5 boxes ready for collection before filling out the New Intake of Assets Form.

Attach a copy of each Box Contents Form to the New Intake of Assets Form.

The New Intake of Assets Form can accommodate several boxes, so it’s best to do this as the final step, attaching all forms at once.

Once completed, press ‘Submit’. This will email the form to the Records Management team.

The Records Management team will review your box contents lists, approve them, and arrange for your boxes to be collected.

Scan on demand

To request a scanned image of a record held in offsite storage, complete the scan on demand form.

The file will then be scanned and made accessible to you via a system called FileLive, which is run by Oasis, our offsite storage provider. The Records Management team will ask Oasis to create a FileLive account for the employee who needs to view the scanned file, the employee will then be sent login details by Oasis.

If the scan on demand form is sent before 2pm, the scanned file will be accessible on FileLive by 4pm the next working day. The following guidelines also need to be followed when viewing scanned records on FileLive, in order to abide by information security and information governance procedures.

• When viewing the scanned record on FileLive, do not download the scanned record as a PDF to send to the relevant employee.
• Records Management can set up the employee with an account on FileLive and they will be able to access the scanned record.
• This ensures that the scanned record remains securely on the system and can be accessed by the relevant employees, preventing any information breaches.

For assistance on how to use FileLive and search for scanned records, please read the Guide to using FileLive (MS Word, 260KB)

Request to view a box or file in person

We no longer make physical file retrievals where the file can be scanned and viewed digitally. The costs of scanning a file are significantly lower than having a file physically retrieved. Scanning also lowers the risk of files getting lost.

If you need to view a box or file in person, instead of using the scan on demand facility, this must only be undertaken when absolutely necessary and the following guidance must be adhered to:

You must have a valid business reason for viewing a box or file in person. For example, the physical file may be required in court or a care leaver may request access to their records. When requesting a box or file retrieval, our forms will prompt you to present your business reason for retrieval. To request to view a box or file in person, use the Box Retrieval Request Form or the File Retrieval Request Form.

Deliveries of boxes or files take place on Mondays. If you need a box or file urgently please request it before 2pm for delivery the next working day, and you must notify digitisation@cheshireeast.gov.uk.

To return a box or file to storage complete and submit the Box and/ or file return request form

The Records Management team can undertake a records search request to see what paper records we have in our offsite storage facilities. We require any of the following information from you:

• name or title
• the content type of the record ( for example  a health and safety monitoring form or a child's referral assessment)
• key dates
• forenames, surnames or previous names of any individual you are searching for records on
• date of birth of any individual you are searching for records on
• unique reference numbers (for example  liquid logic numbers)

Include all the relevant information in an email to Digitisation@cheshireeast.govuk.

We will conduct a thorough search and provide you with all the records we have in storage. A regular records search request will typically be responded to within two working days.