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Contents

1. Frequency of Health Care Assessments
2. Arranging Health Care Assessments
3. Health Care Assessment Referral Form
4. Health Plans

1. Frequency of Health Care Assessments

Research and practice based evidence demonstrates that children and young people who are looked after away from their birth home have greater levels of health needs than their peers, yet are less likely to receive adequate health care, including mental health and health care monitoring.

The purpose of the statutory health assessments is to promote children’s physical and mental health and to inform the health care plan.

Every looked after child must have a l Health Care Assessment at specified intervals as set out below:

• The first Health Care Assessment must be conducted before the first placement, or, if not reasonably practicable, before the child’s first Looked After Review (unless one has been done in the previous 3 months);
• For children under the age of five years, further health care assessments should occur at least once t every six months;
• For children over the age of five years further Health Care Assessments should occur at least  annually.

If a child has had a child protection medical it may not be necessary to have another medical. There is a small period of time - approximately two months when the medical information from the child protection medical can also be used for the Initial Health Assessment. When referring a child for their initial health assessment make sure that the child protection medical report is attached to the BAAF and referral form so that the paediatrician can make a clinical decision to see the child or not.

2. Arranging Health Care Assessments

Click here to view 'Health Children in Care'.

3. Health Care Assessment Referral Form

Click here to view 'Referral Form for Medical Assessments'.

4. Health Plans

Each Looked After Child’s Care Plan must incorporate a Health Plan in time for the first Looked After Review with arrangements as necessary incorporated into the child’s Placement Plan/Placement Information Record.

Following the health assessments a health summary and health care plan is completed by the health professional. The child’s social worker is responsible for making sure that the health care plan is implemented and  incorporated into the LAC reviews.

The plan must be reviewed after each subsequent health care assessment and at the child’s Looked After Review or as circumstances change.

End