4.5.1 Contact with Parents and Siblings

This chapter refers to the arrangements that must be in place when it is planned for Looked After Children to have contact with their parents and siblings.

Contact between Looked After Children and other relatives and friends, including overnight contact is dealt with in Contact with Relatives, Friends Visitors Procedure.

AMENDMENTS

This chapter was updated in May 2011 to reflect new legislation which came into force on the 1st April 2011

Approving and Planning Contact
Cancellation of Contact
Review of Contact Arrangements
Suspension or Termination of Contact

1. Approving and Planning Contact

Looked After children should be encouraged and supported to maintain contact with their parents and siblings in a manner consistent with the child’s Care Plan; which, itself, must take account of any Child Protection Plan or Contact Order that may be in force.

Contact between children and parents or siblings may only be permitted if previously agreed by the social worker and should be set out in the child’s Placement Plan.

The purpose of the contact and how it will be evaluated must be made clear in the Plan.

In some cases the local authority may wish to restrict contact between a child and parent (or others). Supervision of contact, or a stipulation that (for example) a child may not be taken out of a foster home, are restrictions. Where agreement can be reached, the social worker must record the agreement as part of the placement plan. Where there is disagreement about contact that cannot be resolved through negotiation legal advice should be sought.

Where there is a Contact Order the local authority may depart from the terms of the Order by agreement if the person to whom the order is made agrees and the child (if of sufficient age and understanding to do so) also agrees.

Both direct and indirect contact arrangements should always be clearly detailed setting out how contact will take place, the venue, the frequency and how the arrangements will be evaluated and reviewed.

Where contact is extended beyond 24 hours as part of a plan to gradually return the child to the parents’ care, the Procedure on Placements with Parents should be followed. See Placement with Parents Procedure

Parents can be assisted with travelling expenses to enable contact to go ahead. The social worker should submit a request for financial support to the Group Manager, with reasons.

For foster carers providing short breaks, the foster carer must maintain contact as agreed in the short break plan.

2. Cancellation of Contact

Where contact does not take place in accordance with the child’s Placement Plan, there must be a good reason, for example that the child is too ill to attend. Wherever possible, the staff/carer should consult the child’s social worker in advance if they consider there is a good reason to cancel the contact.

If contact is cancelled, the social worker or, if the social worker is not available, the staff/carer must ensure that the child and, as far as practicable, the parent is informed in advance and that the reason for the decision is explained. The social worker or staff/carer should arrange an alternative contact.

If contact does not take place and consultation has not been possible with the social worker, the staff/carer must inform the child’s social worker as soon as possible and confirm in writing the decision to cancel and the reason.

Contact arrangements must not be withdrawn as a Sanction imposed on a child.

3. Review of Contact Arrangements

The social worker and his/her manager should keep contact arrangements, including the continuing need for supervision, under regular review.

Any significant reactions that the child has to contact should be reported to the child's social worker by those observing contact arrangements, for example foster carers, residential staff and/or supervisors of contact.

The contact arrangements should also be reviewed at the child’s Looked After Review and in the Placement Planning Meetings.

The risk assessment in relation to the arrangements for supervising contact must be reviewed at least every six months, or sooner, if any incident or report identifies concerns.

Where the child is the subject of a Child Protection Plan, the contact arrangements should also be reviewed as required in the Child Protection Plan.

Where a Contact Order is in force and it is considered that the contact arrangements set out in the Order should be altered, the agreement of the child and the parents should be sought and legal advice should be obtained as to the need to seek a variation of the Court Order.

4. Suspension or Termination of Contact

Emergency restrictions on contact can only be made to protect the child from significant risk and must be notified to the placing authority (child's social worker) within 24 hours.

Where it is considered that the child’s contact with the parents should be suspended or terminated, the social worker must be consulted and legal advice should be obtained.

Any such proposal should be made in the context of the overall aims and objectives of the Care Plan.

Any proposal to suspend or terminate the contact should be considered as part of the child’s Looked After Review, unless the circumstances require an urgent decision to be made.

Even where it not possible to hold a Looked After Review because of the urgency of the situation, the reasons for the proposal must be explained to the parents and to the child, and their agreement obtained if possible.

Where the proposal is to suspend the contact, the length and purpose of the suspension together with the basis upon which contact will be reinstated must be made clear.

The approval of the Designated Manager (Contact with Parents/Siblings, Approval of Risk Assessments) should be obtained to any proposal to suspend or terminate contact.

Written confirmation of the decision made, together with the reasons, must be sent to the parents, child (depending on age) and any other relevant person (for example advocate, independent visitor or children’s guardian). Staff/carers and other agencies involved with the child’s care must also be informed.

Where the child is the subject of an Emergency Protection Order, Interim Care Order or Care Order, an application to the Court for authority to terminate the contact will always be necessary if contact is to be suspended for more than 7 days. As soon as such a decision is made, Legal Services should be contacted as a matter of urgency so that the necessary Court action can be initiated.