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Contents

1. Decision to Look After a Child
2. The Care Plan
3. Other Plans and Arrangements

1. Decision to Look After a Child

Amended November 2008: In November 2008, this section was organised into sub sections to clarify the measures that must be taken to seek/approve placements of children on a planned or emergency basis.

1.1 Outside normal working hours

Outside office hours, the Emergency Duty Team can make the decision to Look After a child, see Section 4, Emergency (out of hours) Placements: Placements Procedures. Any decision to place the child outside office hours must be approved by the senior person on call and supported by a Placement Plan/Placement Information Record and must be communicated to the relevant team by the beginning of the next working day.

1.2 Normal working hours: placement with approved foster carers or in residential care

In normal working hours, a decision to place the child with approved foster carers or in residential care will be made by Head of Service where an Initial and/or Core Assessment has identified that a placement is required to meet the child’s needs. Detailed procedures for placing children, including use of the Gatekeeping Form, are contained in Placements Procedure.

1.3 Normal working hours: placement with relatives/family and friends

However, it may be appropriate for the child(ren) to be placed with relatives/family and friends, on an immediate or planned basis. If such a placement is required for less than 6 weeks or immediately, it must be approved by the Senior Team Manager in line with procedures set out in Section 1, Emergency (Immediate) Placements: Placement with Connected Persons Procedure.

1.4 Decision making process

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 the child is engaged in offending behaviour, the social worker should consult Haringey Youth Offending Service, see Youth Offending Service – Children’s Services Protocol.

Before a decision is made to look after a child, a planning meeting will be held wherever possible to plan or consider and legal advice should be sought (see Court Business Procedure). The matters that must be consider are:

• The date for the child’s placement in the Looked After Service
• The child’s immediate placement needs, including whether a Looked After placement with a relative or friend may be possible (see Placement with Connected Persons Procedure)
• The longer term plan
• A date for the child to return home or when the decision will be reviewed
• An action plan of support and work to enable the necessary change for the child to return home
• The obtaining of parental consent to look after the child and Consent to medical care
• The need for Care Proceedings to secure the child’s placement.

The social worker will be responsible for seeking an appropriate placement for the child and making the necessary arrangements in relation to the placement, in accordance with the Placement Procedure.

2. 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 is responsible for drawing up and updating the Care Plan in consultation with:

1. The child
2. The child’s parents
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

See Care and Placement Plans Guidance.

2.1 Timescales for completion of the Care Plan

The Care Plan must be drawn up as soon as the need for the child to be Looked After has been identified. It should be completed prior to the child’s first placement in accordance with the outcome of the Planning Meeting referred to above.

If there are exceptional reasons that prevent the Care Plan from being drawn up prior to the child’s placement, the key objectives of the child’s proposed placement must still be identified and recorded. If satisfied, the manager can then approve that the Care Plan is drawn up within a maximum of 7 days of the placement.

2.2 Approval of the Care Plan

Any Care Plan taken before the Court within Care Proceedings must be endorsed and signed by a Head of Service.

All other Care Plans must be endorsed and signed by the social worker’s 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.

2.3 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.

3. Other Plans and Arrangements

A Placement Plan/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, with copies circulated to the child, parent(s), carers/home and other significant people/agencies.

If the child is placed out of hours or on an unplanned basis, it may not be possible to fully complete the plan/record. In these circumstances, as much of this plan/record should be completed as possible. As a minimum, the following should be recorded:

• healthcare/medical needs, including Consent to urgent medical treatment;
• contact arrangements;
• arrangements for school, including transport;
• financial arrangements including the need to purchase any clothing or urgent equipment
• support that may be required by the carer/home or child

3.1 Other Plans/Records

The social worker should additionally complete or update the following records immediately or within specified timescales:

• The child’s Chronology (or Essential Information Record).
• A Personal Education Plan (PEP)
• A Health Care Plan

3.2 Post Placement Arrangements

For procedures regarding notifications, arrangements for Looked After Reviews and other post placement arrangements, see Post Placement Arrangements/Notifications Procedure.

End