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Contents

1. Decision to Look After a Child
2. Pre Placement Meeting and Agreement
3. The Care Plan
4. Other Plans and Arrangements

1. Decision to Look After a Child

Timely assessments will incorporate consideration of providing supports to the family and or extended family to bolster their abilities to continue safely caring for the child.

Research clearly indicates that the outcomes for those children who become Looked After are significantly poorer than those who remain in their family of origin. It is therefore important that all attempts to exhaust the Local Authority duties, under Section 17 Children Act 1989, to promote & safeguard the welfare of children within their family are made.

Assessments will consider:-

• Support available from within the extended family and social network;
• Family arrangements for alternative Carers within their network;
• Planned support available from other agencies;
• Consideration of referral to other support agencies;
• Support available from within Children's Social Care.

Consideration should be given to convening a Family Group Conference and or using mediation & support services. See the Preventative Services Section of this manual

In all case that involve the proposal of a trans-racial placement, the approval of the Assistant Director must be sought.

Where a planned placement is being considered, the child's social worker should discuss the child's needs with the Commissioning Team at the earliest opportunity to ensure that access to all preventative services have been exhausted.

The provision of accommodation to children and young people should only be made after the completion of a clear and informed assessment of their needs and those of their family. This must include consultation with the child, those adults with parental responsibility and others with an interest in the child. This will always include the completion of an initial assessment in an emergency situation and a Core Assessment when a planned admission is being requested.  A core assessment must be completed with respect to all children Looked After.

In making a placement choice the following issues must be considered as detailed in the Placement Policy: ­

1. Children should be considered as individuals and likewise their parents. Decisions affecting a child must be made in the light of a full assessment of the child's situation and needs. Full attention must be given to the wishes and feelings of the child and their family, although resources may not be available to meet every requirement;
2. Service provision should aim to enhance parental responsibility and minimize intrusion into family life. Full consideration of preventative resources must have been made in order to assist the parents to fully exercise their responsibilities and to avoid the need to provide a Looked After service;
3. If a child cannot remain at home then thought must first be given to placement with relatives or friends providing this is consistent with the child's welfare, and giving appropriate consideration to the child's wishes and feelings bearing in mind his/her age and development;
4. That preference will normally be given to family care rather than residential care;
5. That a local placement should always be sought in order to facilitate contact, maintain social and community links and provide continuity of day care, education and health care;
6. Siblings should be placed together wherever practicable, unless this is contrary to the needs of each individual child;
7. That consideration must be given to the child's health, religious, racial, cultural and linguistic needs in achieving the best possible placement choice;
8. That social work staff will have regard to research information and other departmental guidance on specific types of placement, including relevant costs and value for money criteria;
9. That children with disabilities should have access to the same range of accommodation as those available to non-disabled children whenever practicable;
10. The child's needs should take precedence where there is a conflict of interest between a child and those with parental responsibility. The child's welfare is paramount and safeguarding and promoting this is the first priority.

These factors must be taken into account before investigating potential placements and proceeding to decision making in this area.

Who Makes the decision to Look After?

Where it has been established that the child should be Looked After, the Head of Service must be consulted and the case presented to the Children's Placement Panel before the placement is made unless it is an emergency in which case it should be brought to the next meeting of the Children's Placement Panel.

Outside office hours, the Emergency Duty Team can make the decision to Look After a child (See Emergency Duty Team Procedures) The Emergency Duty Team Worker will consult a Head of Service before they make a placement. Any decision to place the child outside office hours must be supported by a Placement Plan/Placement Information Record which should be completed as fully as possible and communicated to the relevant team by the beginning of the next working day.

A decision to Look After a child may occur in the following circumstances:

• All attempts or possibilities at intervention to maintain and support the child with his or her family have broken down; or
• The child would be at risk of Significant Harm by remaining with the family.

The decision should only be made if appropriate consultation has taken place on the necessity, purpose and nature of the proposed placement.

If a Core Assessment has not been completed or it is not up to date, a Core Assessment must be completed.

The social worker's manager must approve the decision to refer the placement to the Children's Commissioning Team. They must then complete a referral form and ensure that the following information is provided:

• An assessment of need;
• Child Protection Plans (where applicable);
• Chronology and background information;
• Most recent education report;
• Relevant medical information including reports from CAMHS.

The case should then be referred to Placement Panel by the social worker for an 'in principle' decision prior to placement. (See Funding Panel Procedure.) and a Funding/Request Form must be completed.

When the Placement Panel approve a placement, the Children's Commissioning Team will identify a suitable placement from within the borough's resources. When such a placement is not available, the Children's Commissioning Team will approach the Head of Service for the approval of a placement with in Independent Fostering Agency or Residential children's home provider. (See Placement in Foster Care Procedure and Placement in Children's Home Procedure.)

2. Pre Placement Meeting and Agreement

When a decision to accommodate has been made a pre-placement meeting must be convened to formulate the plan for the child. The child, parents, social worker and carers to develop plan jointly.

Meeting should be chaired and minuted by the Assistant Team Manager or Group Manager

The completion of the ICS forms should take place in this meeting or be planned within it. It is essential that all Looked After children receiving a planned service should have all appropriate information completed prior to placement. Copies of all of these are included within the admission pack and the social worker must indicate on the Checklist when each form has been completed. This should include:

• An updated Chronology;
• Placement Plan/Placement Information Record including parental consent to medical treatment;
• Care Plan.

The meeting must consider whether the Public Law Outline Pre Proceedings Checklist needs to be complied with.

Children must not be removed from the care of their parents without:

• The consent of a person with Parental Responsibility;
• Police Protection Powers;
• Emergency Protection Order;
• An Interim Care Order or a Care Order.

3. The Care Plan

Where a decision is made to look after a child, the child must have a Care Plan completed by the social worker and signed by the relevant team manager, the contents of which include:

• The child's Placement Plan (setting out why the placement was chosen and how the placement will contribute to meeting the child's needs);
• The child's Permanence Plan (setting out the long term plans for the child's upbringing including timescales);
• The Pathway Plan (where appropriate, for young people leaving care);
• The child's Health Plan;
• The child's Personal Education Plan;
• The contingency plan;
• The date of the child's first Looked After Review (within 20 working days);
• The name of the Independent Reviewing Officer.

The child's Social Worker is responsible for drawing up and updating the Care Plan in consultation with:

1. The child
2. The child's Parents and those with Parental Responsibility;
3. Anyone who is not a Parent but has been caring for or looking after the child;
4. Other members of the child's family network who are significant to the child;
5. The child's school or education authority;
6. The relevant health trust;
7. The Youth Offending Service, if the child is known to them;
8. Any other agency involved with the child's care.

One of the key functions of the Care Plan is to ensure that each child has a Permanence Plan by the time of the second Looked After Review. The Care Plan is subject to scrutiny at each Looked After Review - see Looked After Reviews Procedure

The Care Plan should include the arrangements made to meet the child's needs in relation to his or her:

• Emotional and behavioural development;
• The child's identity in relation to religious persuasion, racial origin and cultural and linguistic background;
• Family and social relationships; arrangements for contact with sibling(s) accommodated by the authority or another local authority; details of any Section 8 Order, in relation to a Looked After Child; details of any order in relation to contact with a child in care; arrangements for contact with parents/anyone with Parental Responsibility/ any other Connected Person; arrangements for the appointment of an Independent Visitor for a Looked After Child;
• Social presentation;
• Self-care skills;
• Health issues and promotion e.g. sex and substance misuse.

The Care Plan should include why the parents views have or have not been acted on.

3.1 Timescales for completion of the Care Plan

A Care Plan must be prepared prior to a child's first placement, or if not practicable to do so, within 10 working days of the child's first placement.

3.2 Approval of the Care Plan

Any Care Plan taken before the Court within Care Proceedings must be endorsed and signed by the social worker's Group Manager

All other Care Plans must be endorsed and signed by the Social Worker's Group Manager.

The Care Plan can be updated by the Social Worker, with the Manager's approval, at any time.

The Care Plan is subject to scrutiny at each Looked After Review.

3.3 Circulation of the Care Plan

The Care Plan must be circulated to the following people:

• The child;
• The Parent(s);
• Providers/Carers - if no Care Plan has been drawn up prior to the child's placement, the Social Worker must ensure that the providers/Carers understand the key objectives of the plan, and how the placement will help achieve these objectives;
• The Fostering Service, where the child is in foster care. N.B. The Care Plan should be filed in the confidential section of the foster carer's file and returned to the child's social worker when the placement ends;
• The child's Independent Reviewing Officer.

4. Other Plans and Arrangements

4.1 Placement Plan

This summarises the other plans that must be drafted. For more detail see Post Placement Arrangements Procedures.

A Placement Plan (recorded on the Placement Information Record) must be drawn up outlining the arrangements for Looking After the child.

Where the child is placed on a planned basis, this plan/record should be completed fully or, if not reasonably practicable, within 5 working days of the start of the placement, with copies circulated to the child, Parent(s), Carers/Home and other significant people/agencies.

The information to be included in the Placement Plan will include:

1. How on a day-to-day basis the child will be cared for and the child's welfare will be safeguarded and promoted by the appropriate person;
2. Any arrangements for contact between the child and parents/anyone with Parental Responsibility/any other connected person, including, if appropriate, reasons why contact is not reasonably practicable or not consistent with the child's welfare; details of any Contact Order (under Section 8 or 34 of the Children Act 1989); the arrangements for notifying any changes in contact arrangements;
3. Arrangements for the child's health (physical, emotional and mental) and dental care, including the name and address of registered medical and dental practitioners; arrangements for giving/withholding consent to medical/dental examination/treatment;
4. Arrangements for the child's education and training, including the name and address of the child's school/other educational institution/provider and designated teacher; the Local Authority maintaining any statement of Special Educational Needs;
5. The arrangements for and frequency of visits by the child's social worker; and for advice, support and assistance between visits;
6. If an Independent Visitor is appointed, the arrangements for them to visit the child;
7. The circumstances in which the placement may be terminated;
8. The name and contact details of  the Independent Reviewing Officer, the Independent Visitor if one is appointed, the social worker who will be visiting the child, and the Personal Adviser for an Eligible Young Person.

The Placement Plan will be recorded on the Placement Information Record on the child's electronic database.

4.2 Chronology

Whenever a new placement is made or the child moves placement, the child's Chronology should be updated.

4.3 Arrangements of first Looked After Review

The child's social worker must notify the Independent Review Unit of the placement within two working days of the child becoming looked after, so that the necessary arrangements for the allocation of an Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) (within 5 working days of the child becoming looked after wherever possible) and the child's first Looked After Review can be made. See the Looked After Review Procedure for the procedures relating to reviews, including the responsibility for invitations to reviews.

4.4 Health Care

Before or at the time of the placement, the social worker should request the parent to transfer the child's personal child health record. Where this is lost or not available, the social worker should ask for a replacement to be issued and ask the Designated Nurse for LAC to assist with providing any information to complete the record.

The social worker should also contact the Designated Nurse for LAC to arrange a Health Care Assessment before the placement or, if not reasonably practicable before the first Looked After Review (i.e. within 20 working days of the placement) so that the completion of a Health Care Plan is in time for the child's first Looked After Review. See Health Care Assessments and Health Care Plans Procedure.

In addition, the social worker should inform the carer of any medication the child is taking, and ensure that a supply of medication is provided in a clearly labelled bottle with the child's name, required dosage and the time the medication is to be given.

4.5 Personal Education Plan (PEP)

The social worker should also liaise with the Designated Teacher so that a Personal Education Plan (PEP) can be completed as part of the Care Plan before the child becomes looked after (or within 10 working days in the case of an emergency placement) and be available in time for the first Looked After Review. See Education of Children in Care Procedure.

4.6 Provision of information

The child's social worker must provide the child and parents with written information about the placement.

4.7 Changes in Legal Status

Any changes in a child's legal status as a result of court proceedings must be recorded on the child's electronic record.

End