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2.7 Post Placement Arrangements

SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER

The chapter summarises the key arrangements that must be made after a child becomes Looked After. New arrangements for Health Care notifications are identified in Section 3, Notifications.


Contents

  1. The Care Plan
  2. Placement Strategy
  3. Notifications
  4. Health Care
  5. Education
  6. Complaints and Advocacy
  7. Placement Agreement Meetings
  8. Support and Monitoring of Placements


1. The Care Plan

Where a decision is made to look after a child, the child must have a Care Plan.

The child’s Social Worker should have made arrangements for the Care Plan and other plans (e.g. Placement Plan) to be drawn up, as set out in Section 2, Decision to Look After Procedure.


2. Placement Strategy

2.1 The Purpose of the Strategy is to Ensure That:

Every Child in Care is 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. A clear Placement Plan/Placement Information Record must drawn up by the social worker, which identifies how the placement will meet the child’s needs. All placements should provide appropriate, high quality care.

Permanence should be achieved as soon as possible either through the child’s return home or through permanent substitute care. See Permanence Planning for Looked After Children Procedure

2.2 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.

2.3 Planning

Placements will be made in a planned way wherever possible. Appropriate Plans will be in place – see Decision to Look After Procedure.

2.4 Quality Assurance

All placements will be identified and monitored by the Fostering Team. The Commissioning Manager in consultation with the allocated social worker and team manager, will draw up and agree contracts with all external providers. 

Placements will be made within the child’s family network wherever possible. Where this is not possible, children will be placed in a family placement.

No child under 12 will be placed in a residential placement except where this has been shown to best meet the child’s identified needs.

Requests for residential placements for children over 12 must be supported by a written needs assessment except in the case of an emergency placement.

Placements will be in in-house resources and local (within 20 miles of Luton) wherever possible.

Placement moves will be avoided unless these are part of the Placement Plan whereby children are to return to in-house resources.

Where a placement ends in an unplanned way, the Social Worker will convene a meeting to discuss the causes of the breakdown. Where the placement was intended as permanent, the Fostering or Adoption Service will convene the meeting. 

When planning for placements, the contribution that any or all in-house services can make to the placement should be considered.

2.5 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 every Child in Care.

Adoption for children will be considered at the child’s second Looked After Review.

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 Out of Borough Placement Panel and the Designated Manager (Placement of Looked After Children Outside the Authority).


3. Notifications

After the child becomes Looked After (including changes in placement or placement endings), the Social Worker should also notify all those consulted and involved in the decision-making process. If not consulted in the decision making process, the Social Worker must notify the child’s Parent(s), significant relatives or friends and previous Carers.

The Social Worker must also notify the Children and Family Finance Team when a child is placed with foster carers that have been approved by the Fostering Panel to ensure that payments are made.

The Social Worker should liaise with the Quality Assurance Team to ensure the following notifications are made (notifications must be in writing, notifying them of the placement decision and the name and address of the person with whom the child has been placed):

  1. Looked After Review and, if placed in Secure Accommodation, Secure Criteria Review
  2. The home PCT remains responsible for the child's health care needs even when they are placed in another PCT area. However in these circumstances, the child should still registered with a GP and dentist which is local to their placement
  3. Local Education Authority in the area where the child is placed and child’s school
  4. If the child is placed outside the authority, Children’s Services Department in the area where the child is placed


4. Health Care

The Social Worker should arrange for the child to have a Health Care Assessment (see Health Care Assessments and Health Care Plans Procedure) and ensure the child is registered with a GP, Dentist and Optician.


5. Education

The Social Worker should ensure that there is minimal disruption to the child’s education. If the child can not continue to attend his/her previous school, the Social Worker should liaise with the Carer/Home to ensure the child is registered with a school or that his/her educational needs are addressed. This will include ensuring that a Personal Education Plan PEP is drawn up within required timescales: See Education of Looked After Children Procedure.


6. Complaints and Advocacy

The Social Worker should ensure the child is given literature/information about:

  • The Children an Families Service Complaints Procedure
  • Advocacy Services provided by the authority


7. Placement Agreement Meetings

If the child is placed on a planned basis, the Social Worker must liaise with the Carer/Home to conduct a Placement Agreement Meeting within 7 days of the placement.

If the child is placed in an emergency or outside office hours, the Social Worker must conduct an Emergency Review within 3 working days to review the suitability of the placement.


8. Support and Monitoring of Placements

If the child is placed out of hours, the EDT Worker must consult Carers/the Home and provide necessary immediate support to the placement.

The Social Worker must undertake a visit within a week of the placement and then at intervals required in Social Worker Visits Procedure.

If the child is placed with Foster Carers, the Carers will receive support and supervision as set out in the following chapter: Supervision of Foster Carers Procedure.

End