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Contents

1. Definition of Emergency Placement 
2. Placement During Normal Working Hours  
3. Placement Outside Normal Working Hours 

1. Definition of Emergency Placement

An Emergency Placement is the placement of a Child in Care including child in foster care or residential care (including Secure Accommodation) made without the usual planning and/or thorough assessment process having taken place because of the need to ensure the safety and the welfare of the child immediately.

The following placements are deemed to be Emergency Placements:

• The unplanned placement of a child outside normal working hours
• Any placement where the necessary plans are not in place, i.e. where a child is abandoned, has suffered or is at risk of Significant Harm, or where there is an exceptional and immediate need to end an existing placement
• A placement in Secure Accommodation without a Court Order but authorised by a Designated Manager (Secure Accommodation Placement) for a maximum of 72 hours

Emergency placements with a local authority approved foster carer outside the terms of approval can be made for up to six working days.

2. Placement During Normal Working Hours

2.1 Identification of the Placement

Where an Emergency (Unplanned) Placement is required, the social worker should still liaise with and provide a completed Referral Form to the duty officer in the Fostering  Team, who will attempt to identify an appropriate internal resource.

Where an external placement has been identified as necessary, for example where a secure placement is required, the referrer must obtain the authority of the Designated Manager (Placement of Looked After Children Outside the Authority) before making the referral. They must then send the completed referral form to the fostering duty officer.

The fostering duty officer will consult with staff/providers/carers in relation to the proposed placement, as necessary and as time permits, to ensure the identified placement is appropriate to meet the child’s needs. In relation to requests for placements with independent fostering agencies, out of borough children’s homes and secure placements, the duty officer will refer the matter to the Brokerage Assistant who will consult the list of preferred providers to establish available vacancies. The decision about the suitability of the placement will be made by the Social Work Team Manager.

Where the proposed placement is with an external provider, the contact will include a discussion about basic costs, any services that would be deemed an extra cost, such as education or therapy, and the notice period.

Where a proposed placement in foster care requires the granting of an exemption from the usual fostering limit, the procedure in Section 4 of Limit on the number of children in Foster Homes, will apply. If the placement is outside the foster carer’s terms of approval, the approval of the Designated Manager (Foster Placement - Exemption to Exceed Usual Limit) will be required.

If an external placement is confirmed as suitable and a vacancy is available, the  Commissioning Manager will undertake the following:

• Consult the Ofsted website and consider the home’s most recent Inspection report
• Request a copy of the provider’s registration certificate and the most recent inspection report
• If possible obtain a verbal reference from another local authority who have placed children with the provider in the last 12 months
• If possible, liaise with social workers who have previously used the provider 

As long as no concerns have been raised in the above enquiries, the Commissioning Manager and the referring social worker will decide whether to pursue the placement.

The Commissioning Manager will then liaise with the provider regarding the placement, including the contract for the placement where an external provider is involved.

2.2 The Placement

In all cases, even where a child is placed in an emergency, the social worker must complete a Placement Plan/Placement Information Record, (at a minimum Part 1 - Basic Details and Part 3 - Consents) and ensure that the child’s Chronology is up to date,  providing as much information as possible given the circumstances. See Post Placement Arrangements Procedure.

In particular, in order to ensure the appropriate arrangements to pay carers are in place, where the emergency placement is in foster care, the child’s social worker must notify the  Children and Family Finance Team of the placement within one working day, by sending the following information:

• The child’s name
• The date of the placement
• Reason for placement (e.g. risk of Significant Harm, breakdown of previous placement)
• The child’s legal status
• Name and address of new carer

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.

Although a meeting with the provider/carers to plan the placement will not be possible prior to the placement, this must take place within 72 hours for all placements, in order to complete the Placement Plan/Placement Information Record.

See: Emergency Reviews Procedure (for placements in residential care) and Placement Plan Reviews Procedure (for placements in foster care).

3. Placement Outside Normal Working Hours

1. When a placement appears appropriate, the Emergency Duty Officer will identify a suitable placement using the available placements known to the Team; they may also contact the ‘on call’ Manager for more information if necessary
2. The Emergency Duty Officer should liaise as necessary with the provider/carers, seeking their view on the suitability of the proposed placement. If there is a significant difference of opinion, the ‘on call’ Manager should be consulted to make a decision
3. When a decision is reached, the Emergency Duty Officer should liaise with the provider/carers to agree the time and other suitable arrangements for the child’s placement
4. Before a child is placed, the Emergency Duty Officer must ensure that the following records are completed as far as possible, depending on the information available, and hand copies to the provider/carers: 
   
   Child’s Chronology.
   
   Placement Plan/Placement Information Record ensuring that the Consent of a person with Parental Responsibility has been obtained
5. The Emergency Duty Officer should if possible arrange an emergency Health Care Assessment of the child.
6. Having placed the child, the Emergency Duty Officer must pass the top copies of the Placement Plan/Placement Information Record and any other documentation to the relevant social work team without delay. Where appropriate, a copy should also be sent to the Fostering Team
7. If the child is placed at beginning of a holiday period, e.g. Christmas Eve, the Emergency Duty Officer placing the child will arrange for the child to be visited at least once during the holiday period by the Emergency Duty Team to ensure the child’s needs are being attended to and the provider/carers have all they require to meet the child’s needs until the relevant social worker can follow the placement up

The child’s social worker will then complete the Placement Procedures as set out in the Post Placement Arrangements Procedure, including the referral of the placement request to the Care Management Panel.

In particular, in order to ensure the appropriate arrangements to pay carers are in place, where the emergency placement is in foster care, the child’s social worker must notify the Children and Family Finance Team of the placement within one working day, by sending the following information:

• The child’s name
• The date of the placement
• Reason for placement (e.g. risk of significant harm, breakdown of previous placement)
• The child’s legal status
• Name and address of new carer

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.

Although a meeting with the provider/carers to plan the placement will not be possible prior to the placement, this must take place within 72 hours for all placements, in order to complete the Placement Plan Part 2.

See Emergency Reviews Procedure (in relation to residential care) and Placement Plan Reviews Procedure (for placements in foster care).

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