4.2.3 Placements in Residential Care |
SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER
This procedure applies to all planned placements of Looked After children in residential care including placements with external providers.
AMENDMENTS
This chapter was amended in July 2011 to take account of the changes in the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010.
Contents
1. Consultation and Planning
1.1 Consultation
At the point that it is determined that a placement may be required, and throughout the subsequent process of identification, planning and placement, the social worker must consult and take account of the views of the following people:
- The child
- The child’s parents
- Anyone who is not a parent but has been caring for or looking after the child
- Other members of the child’s family who are significant to the child
- The child’s school or education authority
- The Youth Offending Team, if the child is known to them
The views of these people should be given by them, in writing, or should be recorded by the social worker.
1.2 Planning
See Decision to Look After and Care Planning Procedure for procedures relating to the initial decision to look after a child, and the drafting and approval of the Care Plan.
2. Placements Process - Planned Placements
i. Definition of Planned Placement
A Planned Placement is the placement of a child in residential care following an assessment and planning process whereby, at the time of the placement, a Care Plan and Placement Plan are in place.
Where the above plans are not in place, the placement is deemed to be an Emergency.
See Emergency Placement Procedures
ii. Placement Request
Before a placement request can be processed the child’s case must have either been discussed at the Family Support Panel, (see Family Support Panel Procedures) or the placement must have been approved by the Designated Manager (Placements)
he Family Support Panel will only authorise a placement if satisfied that there are no alternatives to the child being/remaining Looked After.
The written information provided to the Family Support Panel will form the referral information that will be used by the Placement Co-ordination Team to identify a placement and this should include:
- The Referral for Service Form which contains information about the child; the type of placement sought, the date by which the placement is required, the likely length of time for which the placement is required and the expected level of contact between the child and parents. The referral should be supported by the following documents:
- Initial Assessment or Core Assessment,
- Any relevant medical reports, including details of medication that the child may be taking at the point of placement,
- The child’s Statement of Special Educational Needs SEN (where relevant),
- The most recent Looked After Review minutes (in relation to a child already Looked After),
- The most recent Strategy Meeting or Child Protection Conference minutes (where applicable)
All placement requests will be discussed at the Placement Co-ordination Meeting following the Family Support Panel and a possible placement will be identified. The Residential Service Manager will then discuss the referral with the registered manager of the children’s home and a decision will be made about whether the child can be admitted to the proposed children’s home.
iii. Identification Of Placement
After a decision has been made as to placement of a child , the Placement Co-ordination Team will confirm the choice of placement with the Residential Service and the Social Worker of the child. If an in-house residential placement is identified, the placement planning process can start – see Placement Planning below.
Wherever possible the child's social worker should visit potential homes and as required consult with other professionals, prior to a decision about the appropriateness of a placement being made.
If a placement with an external provider has been authorised by the Designated Manager or by the MAPT, the Placement Co-ordination Team will consult appropriate providers, identify possible placements and liaise with the social worker about their suitability based on the needs of the young person.
The Placement Co-ordination Team will always try to arrange for a placement with a preferred provider and only if this is not possible or if it is not in the child’s interest will a placement with another provider be sought.
At this stage initial discussions will be held with the providers as to the appropriateness of the referral, time-scales for vacancies and the basic costs of the placement. The Placement Co-ordination Team will ascertain the services included in the basic cost, what would be regarded as extra cost and the conditions relating to the notice period, and liaise with the child’s social worker and relevant manager as necessary.
If an external placement appears suitable and a vacancy is available, the Placement Co-ordination Team will undertake the following:
- Contact the Commission for Social Care Inspection
- Request a copy of the provider’s registration certificate and the most recent inspection report
- Obtain verbal references from other local authorities who have placed children with the provider in the last 12 months
- Liaise with social workers who have previously used the provider
The social worker may then arrange visits to the proposed placement, with the child (if old enough) and parents (if appropriate).
When the placement has been agreed as suitable, the Placement Co-ordination Team will negotiate the terms and conditions of the placement with the provider. If the proposed placement is already with a provider who has an existing contract with the Authority, the terms and conditions will have already been negotiated by the Commissioning Officer.
No contract will be for longer than 3 months and each will have a date for a contract review.
The provider’s admissions procedure will then be followed.
N.B. In addition to the above approvals, in order to avoid placements that disrupt a child's education, the Nominated Officer must approve any change of placement affecting a child in Key Stage 4 except in an emergency/ where the placement is terminated because of an immediate risk of serious harm to the child or to protect others from serious injury - see Education of Looked After Children Procedure.
iv. Placement Planning
Before the child is placed, the Placement Co-ordination Team will liaise with the child’s social worker and the manager of the home to arrange a pre-placement planning meeting.
The child, parents and any other significant family members and relevant professionals should also be invited.
The purpose of the meeting is to share information about the child and the Care Plan, complete/update the Placement Plan (recorded on the Placement Information Record) plan the timing of the placement and ensure that a Placement Plan is drawn up. This will also involve a discussion on the child's needs, including their personal history, religious persuasion, cultural and linguistic background and racial origin, their health and education needs and how these are to be met. It will also include the arrangements for registering the child with local health professionals (GP, dentist and Optician).
For children placed in residential care, the Placement Plan should cover the following issues in addition to those for all placements set out in the Decision to Look After and Care Planning Procedure:
- The type of accommodation to be provided and the address.
- The child's personal history, religious persuasion, cultural and linguistic background and racial origin.
- Where the child is Accommodated, the respective responsibilities of the Local Authority and parents/anyone with Parental Responsibility; any delegation of responsibility by parents/anyone with Parental Responsibility to the Local Authority for the child's day-to-day care; the expected duration of the arrangements and the steps to bring the arrangements to an end, including arrangements for the child to return to live with parents/anyone with Parental Responsibility; where the child is aged 16 or over and agrees to being provided with accommodation under Section 20 Children Act 1989, that fact.
- The circumstances in which it is necessary to obtain in advance the Local Authority's approval for the child to take part in school trips or overnight stays
- The Local Authority's arrangements for the financial support of the child during the placement.
Following the meeting, the child's social worker will complete and arrange for the circulation of the Placement Information Record and Care Plan to the child, parents and home manager. The manager of the home will arrange for the Placement Plan to be drawn up and circulated.
Wherever possible, the Placement Planning Meeting should be used to plan any introductions to the placement,for example whether arrangements should be made for the child, parents and the social worker to visit the home and/or whether it may be appropriate to have an introductory overnight stay. If this is not possible, arrangements may be made for residential staff to visit the child and parents; or for information about the home to be sent to the child and/or the parents, for example about routines in the home, bedtimes, meals, visitors, pocket money, school, privacy and the overall expectations in relation to the child's behaviour within the home.
The social worker should ensure that any Children's Guide or other information about the placement that is available for the child is obtained and given to him/her.
If the child is being placed with an external provider, the social worker must also ensure that the child is provided with information on using the authority's Complaints Procedure.
In all cases, the child should be accompanied to the placement by the social worker and helped to settle in.
For any new placement, every effort should be made to enable the child to remain at the same school unless there are reasons which would be detrimental to his or her well being. In order to avoid placements that disrupt a child's education, the Nominated Officer must approve any change of placement affecting a child in Key Stage 4 except in an emergency/ where the placement is terminated because of an immediate risk of serious harm to the child or to protect others from serious injury.v. Notification of Placement
The notifications should be before the start of the placement or within five working days.
The child’s social worker must notify the placement to all those consulted and involved in the decision-making process, and confirmation of the date of placement must be sent to the Commissioning Team.
In addition, the child’s social worker must provide the necessary information to the relevant administrative staff so the child’s records can be updated. The social worker must complete form C250.
The social worker must also notify the following:
| 1. | The Conference and Reviews Unit. This notification may be given verbally, to an already allocated Independent Reviewing Officer, but must also always be given in writing This notification will trigger, if necessary, the appointment of an Independent Reviewing Officer, who will contact the social worker to make arrangements for a Looked After Review. |
| 2. | The appropriate health trust, local education authority and Children's Social Care Services Department for the area where the child is placed. These notifications must be made in writing advising of the placement decision and the name and address of the home where the child is to be placed. |
It will be necessary for the social worker to ensure the child is registered with a GP, Dentist and Optician, either retaining practices known to them or in the area where they are placed.
In relation to a first looked after placement it will also be necessary for the social worker to arrange a Health Care Assessment (see Health Care Assessments and Plans Procedures).
The social worker must also complete a Personal Education Plan (see procedures contained in Education of Looked After Children Procedures).
3. Support and Monitoring of Placements
3.1 Support and Monitoring of Placements
The child’s social worker must visit the child in the placement within one week of the placement and then at minimum every six weeks; see procedures in Social Worker Visits Procedure.
The Placement Co-ordination Team will also liaise with health and education in relation to jointly funded placements with external providers, and will maintain contact with external providers in relation to the children placed with them, taking up with them any concerns or funding issues as soon as they are drawn to their attention.
Where the needs of the child in the placement will involve costs in addition to those approved, the placement must be referred to the MAPT for authority for any such additional costs before they are incurred. If the child requires personal care which includes invasive procedures, the staff and carers for the child must be familiar with the Invasive Procedures Briefing Note.
3.2 Ending of Placements
The child’s social worker should inform all those notified of the placement when a placement ends, including the Placement Co-ordination Team.
Where a placement with an external provider ends in an unplanned way, the Commissioning Team will call a meeting to discuss the causes of the breakdown and inform further placement planning. The child’s social worker, the child, the child’s parents, a representative of the external provider and any other significant people (as agreed between the Commissioning Team and the social worker) should be invited.
Children must, when they leave the home, be helped to understand the reasons and be supported with the transition - including return home and independence.
4. Placements Strategy
4.1 Purpose of Strategy
The purpose of the Strategy is to ensure that:
- All Looked After Children are only placed in the Looked After Service after a full assessment of their needs has been carried out, other than in an emergency when a full assessment is not possible.
- All Looked After Children are only placed in the Looked After Service once it is demonstrated that they cannot be retained with support, in their own family or community.
- A clear Placement Plan is drawn up, which identifies how the placement will meet the child’s needs and that all possibilities for the safe rehabilitation of the child to their own family have been exhausted.
- The placement provides appropriate, high quality care.
- Permanence is achieved as soon as possible either through the child’s return home or through permanent substitute care.
4.2 Assessment
All children referred for placement must have been subject to a Core Assessment. This should normally have been completed prior to a child becoming Looked After, but should be completed after placement if this is not the case.
4.3 Planning
Placements will be made in a planned way wherever possible.
Appropriate Plans will be in place – see Decision to Look After, Care Plans and Permanence Planning Procedure.
4.4 Quality Assurance
Placements with preferred providers will always be sought in preference to others and where placements are made by spot purchase the Social Worker, Placement Co-ordination Team and Commissioning Team will draw up an agreed contract.
All external placements will be reviewed on a regular basis by a meeting of Managers from Resource and Care Management and Education. External placements are also reviewed at the Multi Agency Placement Team Meeting.
No child under 12 (Age) will be placed in a residential placement except where this has been shown to best meet the child’s identified needs.
Placement moves will be avoided unless these are part of the Placement Plan whereby children are to return to in-house resources.
When there is a possibility of disruption in external placement the child’s Social Worker should arrange a meeting to discuss the issues and to put in appropriate support.
4.5 Permanence
The child should be returned home as soon as possible where this is in his or her best interests.
Permanent substitute care will be planned at an early stage with Adoption considered for all Looked After Children.
No placement with an external provider will be regarded or confirmed as permanent except in exceptional circumstances.
Social workers should not discuss this possibility in any depth with carers from external providers or with children unless and until this has been agreed with the MAPT and the Designated Manager (Placement of Looked After Children Outside the Authority).
End