4.2.3 Placement of Looked After Children |
SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER
This procedure deals with all issues relating to the placement of Looked After Children. It provides guidance to staff on obtaining authority to place a child, finding a placement, placing the child and the follow up actions required. It distinguishes between planned and unplanned placements and covers in detail the requirements in respect of external placements.
Issue Date: October 2010
Review Date: October 2011
Contents
- Introduction
- Departmental Policy
- Making Placements so as to Maximise the Life Chances of Looked After Children
- How to go about making a placement
- Meetings to be arranged following placement
- Information to Parents and Children
- Medical Examination and Assessment
- Changes and Termination of Placement
- Notification of Placement
1. Introduction
| 1.1 | This procedure deals with the placement of looked after children, both those accommodated by voluntary agreement and those looked after as a result of a court order. | |
1.2 |
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| 1.2.1 | planned initial placements following a Core Assessment | |
| 1.2.2 | urgent initial placements made before it has been possible to complete a core assessment | |
| 1.2.3 | changes of placement, both planned and emergencies | |
| 1.3 | The procedure does not cover permanent placements which are dealt with in a separate procedure. | |
| 1.4 | The procedure does not cover immediate placements with relatives or friends (Regulation 38 Placements) which is dealt with in a separate procedure. | |
2. Departmental Policy
| 2.1 | Policy Statement |
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| 2.1.1 | The placement of our looked after children is one of our key tasks. We will ensure that there is a wide range of placements available to assist children and young people to maximise their health and educational development and emotional well-being. We will use our placement resources carefully and will work to increase the availability of local placements. We will support our placement providers and help them to develop their skills and maximise their potential. Children's Services aims to ensure that children have the minimum number of placement moves during their time looked after. | |
| 2.1.2 | Ealing Council will endeavour to place siblings together wherever possible, if this is in their best interests. We aim to place children in placements that reflect their cultural, racial, religious and linguistic needs. Where this is not possible the Child's Care Plan will reflect a package of care that seeks to meet these needs. | |
| 2.1.3 | Where possible we will seek to keep children within their existing schools in order to promote their educational stability and opportunities. Where this is not possible the services of the LAC Education Team can be utilised to ensure a smooth transition. (See Education of Looked after Children Procedure) | |
3. Making Placements so as to Maximise the Life Chances of Looked After Children
| 3.1 | Principles |
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| 3.1.1 | The basic principles of the Children Act underpin all the processes in making placements | |
| 3.1.2 | Making a placement must safeguard and promote the child's welfare S22(3)(a) | |
| 3.1.3 | Children should only become looked after by the local authority where it is clear that their families cannot do so S23(6) | |
| 3.1.4 | Decisions about becoming looked after and placements must be made as far as possible in partnership with children and their parents, having established and taken into account their wishes S22(4),(5) | |
| 3.1.5 | Regard must be given to the child's religion, race, cultural and linguistic background S22(5)c | |
3.2 |
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| 3.2.1 | Placement with family or friends must be considered as a first option unless this is impractical or inconsistent with the welfare of the child. The Social Worker must always make extensive and thorough enquiries about what family resources may be available. We should take a broad view of what constitutes "family and friends" and creatively use the ways in which the local authority can support such arrangements. | |
3.3 |
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| 3.3.1 | Wherever possible children should be offered the opportunity to be placed in family based settings, As far as possible, and in keeping with the needs of individual children, they will be placed locally with London Borough of Ealing approved foster-carers. | |
| 3.3.2 | If no suitable Ealing foster-carer is available, placement with an independent sector foster-carer will be considered. | |
| 3.3.3 | While foster-care is usually the preferred option, residential care may be the best way of meeting a child's needs. We view residential care as a positive option for some children and not as a last resort. | |
| 3.3.4 | We also recognise that some children have such special therapeutic or health needs that they will require an external residential resource, however, it will only be in exceptional situations that any child under 14 years of age will be placed in a residential resource. | |
3.4 |
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| 3.4.1 | Children should always be placed as near to their homes as possible, unless there is a clear indication that this is not in their best interests. This is key to our capacity to enable contact with family and friends, which is the basis of partnership. We will help our placement providers to develop their ability to support and promote contact. We are not easily persuaded by arguments about the supposed benefits to children of being removed from negative local influences and pressures. | |
4.How to go about making a placement
| 4.1 | Planned and Unplanned Placements |
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| 4.1.1 | We will always seek wherever possible to avoid unplanned placements. Wherever possible Social Workers should always consult with children according to age and understanding and with their parents/carers about the proposed placement | |
| 4.1.2 | Agreement to accommodate/look after a child is obtained at the Early Intervention Panel (EIP) chaired by an Operations Manager (See Early Intervention Panel Procedures). | |
| 4.1.3 | If a child needs to be accommodated/looked after in an emergency, an Operations Manager must be contacted for agreement and the case must be presented to the next weekly EIP. In the absence of an Operations Manager the consent of the Assistant Director for Safeguarding and Support must be obtained. | |
| 4.1.4 | Once agreement has been given the Social Worker must contact the Access to Resources team (ART) to make a referral. (For detailed information on ART Workflow see Frameworki Guidance documents). | |
| 4.1.5 | The referral should give a holistic view of the child/young person and clearly state the outcomes required of the placement. | |
| 4.1.6 | The referral form must be filled in as fully as possible to ensure that ART can find the most appropriate placement for the child. Social Workers should also send copies of the initial and /or core assessment and any other relevant information to ART. | |
| 4.1.7 | The ART commissioning officer will identify the most appropriate placement aiming to use in house placements in the first instance. | |
| 4.1.8 | If the placement is not an in-house placement, the ART team will then seek Initial funding agreement from an Operations Manager and then make a placement offer to the Social Worker. At this point the placement only has temporary funding and the case must be presented to the Private and Voluntary Placement Panel (P&V) for ongoing funding to be approved. | |
| 4.1.9 | Once a potential placement is identified the child's social worker will liaise with the foster carer (or residential home) to agree arrangements for the placement. At this stage the social worker will also discuss the child with the prospective carers and share any risks associated with the placement. | |
| 4.1.10 | Social Workers should inform the child's parents/carers of where the child is to be placed unless it is not in the child's interests to do so. The decision not to inform parents must come from a Team Manager. | |
| 4.1.11 | The Social Worker must confirm to the ART team within 24 hours of the child being placed that the offer has been taken up. | |
| 4.1.12 | The Social Worker must complete a New Placement Episode on FWI at the time of making a placement. | |
| 4.1.13 | The Social Worker must send an outcome from New Placement Episode (tick send outcome immediately box) to the Team Administrator to complete Placement Notification letters (PLA 1-5). This is a mandatory outcome. | |
4.2 |
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| 4.2.1 | A child can only be placed outside of their family if they are the subject of a legal order or with the consent of parents/those with parental responsibility (S20 accommodation). Where parents are consenting to their children being accommodated their signature MUST be obtained on the placement agreement form | |
| 4.2.2 | Young people over the age of 16 may consent to themselves being accommodated. | |
| 4.2.3 | The exception to this would be Unaccompanied Minors under the age of 16 and absent parents. | |
| 4.2.4 | The Social Worker should explain to the child, in accordance with their age and understanding, what is about to happen and why. | |
| 4.2.5 | Interpreters, translators and specialists for children or parents with communication difficulties, will be used whenever necessary | |
| 4.2.6 | Parents and child should be encouraged to put together possessions to take in a suitable bag when the placement is made. Familiar clothing and objects will be comforting and reassuring. | |
| 4.2.7 | The Social Worker will take the child to the placement and will always try to arrange that they are accompanied by a familiar person, either a relative or friend. Even in situations where there are concerns about conflict between parents and carers, this is likely to be helpful to the child and should be pursued unless there are clear risks to the safety of staff or service users. | |
| 4.2.8 | On arrival at the placement, it is helpful if the parent can be involved in settling the child by
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| 4.2.9 | The Basic Information Sheet for carers and Placement Agreement Record should be completed on the day of the placement and copies must be given to the carers, parent/s and child (if appropriate). | |
5. Meetings to be arranged following placement
| 5.1 | Placement Planning Meeting |
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| 5.1.1 | A placement planning meeting must be set up by the Social Worker within 72 hours of the child being placed and will usually take place at the new placement. The Placement Agreement Record must be completed at this meeting. | |
| 5.1.2 | The people who should be invited to this meeting are as follows:-
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| 5.1.3 | As well as finalising the Placement Agreement Record the PPM provides an opportunity to ensure the foster carer/key worker has copies of relevant court orders and that full information is shared with them about the child and any behaviour management issues | |
5.2 |
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| 5.2.1 | The first review must take place within 28 days of the child being placed. It is the social workers responsibility to book the review with the Independent Review Administrator. See Looked After Reviews and Participation Procedure. | |
| 5.2.2 | At this review, the child's care plan will be formulated and the LAC care plan document will be written by the social worker and distributed to all those invited to the review within one week. | |
5.3 |
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| 5.3.1 | Social Workers should visit the child as often as the needs of the child and the placement require, and not less than
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| 5.3.2 | In addition the foster carer (if not a residential placement) will receive support and supervision from their own Supervising Social Worker | |
| 5.3.3 | The detailed arrangements will be contained in the Placement Agreement Record | |
6. Information to Parents and Children
| 6.1.1 | During the first visit, if not before placement, the Social Worker must give the child the following documents, and take time to ensure that they are understood.
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| 6.1.2 | If it has not been possible to do so during the placement process, the Social Worker must ensure that parents have copies of
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| 6.1.3 | The Child and Young Person's Plan and Placement Agreement Record constitute the statutory notification to parents. Occasionally it may be judged to be not in the best interests of the child to provide these documents; for example, there may be concerns that a child may be abducted. In these cases, the Social Worker must draw up a summary of the plans, including contact details, and give that to the parents. | |
| 6.1.4 | Parents and children can be encouraged to sign the Care Plan, to indicate their commitment, but this is not a legal requirement. | |
| 6.1.5 | Social Workers, managers and any professional staff involved in drawing up a care plan are expected to sign it. |
7. Medical Examination and Assessment
| 7.1 | Social workers should refer to Procedure on Health and Medical Needs for Looked After Children for requirements regarding health and medical needs. |
8. Changes and Termination of Placement
| 8.1 | Placements will normally be changed only through the statutory reviewing processes for looked after children. However, it is recognised that placements can break down without adequate time to plan ahead thoroughly. In either case, the procedures to be followed are the same as those detailed above. The same practice considerations and guidance also apply. |
| 8.2 | Changes of placement are often difficult for all concerned. It will be in the best interests of the child that these situations are managed in a considered, professional way. Wherever possible and appropriate, which may not be the case, for example, with some moves to permanent placements, social workers should find ways of maintaining links between the child and former placements. |
| 8.3 | Decisions regarding changing a child's placement should be discussed with the virtual head teacher for LAC if a child's school placement is to be changed. A particular awareness of the importance of maintaining school stability in key stage 4 (GSCE yrs 10 and 11) needs to be promoted and creative ways of achieving this may need to be considered |
| 8.4 | Independent Reviewing Officers must be contacted at the earliest opportunity regarding the change of placement for a child |
| 8.5 | All professionals involved with a child should be informed at the earliest opportunity. |
| 8.6 | Any changes to the type of placement or to the child's legal status must be entered on the child's electronic record by the social worker. |
9. Notification of Placement
| 9.1 | All those who were consulted about the child becoming looked after should be notified in writing of the placement, before placement, or as soon as possible afterwards. |
| 9.2 | The following statutory notifications will be sent by the team administrators, using standard forms and letters;
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| 9.3 | The letters need to be checked by the social worker before they will be sent out to the relevant parties. |
| 9.4 | The child's social worker will update the child's electronic record on Frameworki with details of the placement and ensure that notification is sent to the finance section to trigger payments to foster carers |
| 9.5 | Notification of the placement will also be sent by the child's social worker to the Designated Nurse for LAC, and the LAC Education Team. |
End