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Contents

1.	Planned Placements Consultation before placement
	1.1	Consultation before Placement
	1.2	Assessment and checks before placement
	1.3	Recommending the Plan
	1.4	Approval of the Plan
	1.5	What to Include in the Written Reports/Plans
	1.6	Short term placements
	1.7	Post Placement Arrangements
	1.8	Ending of placement
2.	Unplanned Placements
3.	Placements during Proceedings

1. Planned Placements

In exceptional circumstances a child may be placed without the immediate need for the following procedures; please see Section 2, Unplanned Placements.

1.1 Consultation before Placement

When undertaking assessments social workers must complete Placement of Children with Parents Form.

Before a child is placed, the following people must be consulted and their views accounted for (The views of these people should be given by them, in writing, or should be recorded in the case file by the social worker):

1. The child
2. Both parents including a parent who is not the proposed carer of the child
3. Any other member of the family who is significant to the child
4. The district health authority (Consultant Paediatrician)
5. The district health authority for the area in which the child is to be placed.
6. The Education Department
7. If the child has a disability, is in the process of being assessed for Special Educational Needs (SEN) or has already a Statement, the Special Needs Section in the Education Department
8. The education authority for the area in which the child is to be placed.
9. The child’s G.P.
10. The G.P. of the person whom it is proposed to place the child with (that person’s consent should be obtained).
11. The child’s Health Visitor (this should done through appropriate Health Visitor Manager).
12. The Health Visitor (if there is one) of the person with whom it is proposed to place the child.
13. The child’s school
14. The Police & Youth Offending Team
15. The Probation Service, if it has contact with the family
16. The relevant Children’s Social Care Services if the child is placed in another local authority’s area.
17. Existing carers (foster parent, residential worker etc.)
18. The foster carer or manager of the children’s home currently caring for the child

The consultation should be formal. The persons being consulted should be written to, requesting their views on the proposed placement. It is important that those who are consulted should reply in writing; their written replies should be placed on the case file.

If appropriate a letter should also be sent to the child, as part of the consultation process with the child.

The views of these people should be given by them, in writing, or should be recorded in the case file by the social worker.

1.2 Assessment and Checks before Placement

The suitability of the proposed placement should be assessed through:

• Obtaining relevant information about the proposed main carer or carers and all members of the household,
• Inspecting the accommodation and
• Checking the proposed carer and all adult members of the household with the Criminal Records Bureau, the carer’s GP, NSPCC and Children’ and Families records.

1.3 Recommending the Plan

In normal circumstances, the child’s placement with his or her parent must be part of the Care Plan, upon the recommendation of a Looked After Review.

However, if the child has previously suffered Significant Harm when living with the parent, the placement may only be authorised upon the recommendation of a Child Protection Review Conference.

The Director of Children and Families should be invited to attend the Looked After Review or Child Protection Review Conference and then may authorise the placement if it seems appropriate.

If the Director of Children and Families is unable to attend, the written reports/plans outlined in the next paragraph should be seen and endorsed by him/her prior to the review. The Director of Children and Families may then authorise the placement upon the recommendation of the Looked After Review or Child Protection Review Conference.

The written reports/plans referred to above are as follows:

• A written report outlining the matters covered in Section 1.5, What to include in the Written Report

• A copy of the child’s Care Plan, if available (the Manager may authorise that this be completed up to 7 days after the placement starts
• A Placement Information Record

1.4 Approval of the Plan

If the Director of Children and Families has attended the Looked After Review or Child Protection Review Conference (referred to above), s/he may authorise the placement at that review.

If the Director of Children and Families has not attended the review, s/he may authorise the placement upon the recommendation of the review, having considered the minutes of that meeting. The Director of Children and Familes should have seen the reports/plans list in Section 1.3, Recommending the Plan prior to the review; if not, s/he should see them before authorising the placement.

In particular, the manager will require evidence that the consultation, enquiries and checks required under this procedure have been carried out.

1.5 What to include in the Written Report

The matters that must be covered in the written report or in the Care Plan/Placement Information Record, placed before the Looked After Review or Child Protection Review Conference, and considered by the Director of Children and Families before authorising the placement are as follows.

• summary of child’s & family’s history
• summary of how and why the child came to be in care
• summary of plan for the child when he/she originally came into care
• details of proposed placement with parent
• outcome of the assessments, consultations and enquiries made as required by the assessments outlined above; including an assessment of the parents ability to meet the identified needs of the child
• aims and objectives of the proposed placement (there needs to be great clarity about why this placement is being proposed) and long term plan for the child
• any identified areas of risk involved in the placement
• support and services to be provided to the family and child
• details of supervision of placement
• arrangements for education
• contingency plans in case of breakdown.

1.6 Short Term Placements

Where the relevant Plan or Plans provide for a series of short term placements of a child with a parent, the requirements as to consultation, enquiries and checks can be carried out once only rather than every time a placement is made, provided that:

• All the placements take place within a twelve months period
• No single placement is for a period of more than four weeks and
• The total duration of the placements does not exceed 90 days.

If a series of short-term placements is part of a longer-term rehabilitation plan, further consultation and approval must be obtained before the rehabilitation plan is extended or the child is returned to the parent’s full-time care.

1.7 Post Placement Arrangements

Once the child is placed, the social worker should undertake the notifications and other arrangements set out in Post Placement Arrangements/Notifications Procedure.

1.8 Ending of Placement

Wherever possible the decision to end a placement should be made at a Looked After Review and the ending should take place in a planned way.

In emergencies, the social worker must discuss the case with his/her manager, who will make the decision. Legal advice should always be sought, preferably by way of a Legal Planning Meeting, and the Care Order should give adequate power to enable the child to be removed by the social worker, but the use of other orders (e.g. an Emergency Protection Order or Recovery Order) might be appropriate in some circumstances.

All those notified of the placement starting should be notified, in writing, when it ends; preferably notifications should be made prior to the ending, or as soon as practicable thereafter. If the child is moving from one placement to another or his/her legal status has changed, the relevant Business Support Officer must be notified.

Notification must be in writing; the standard letter SSD 1076 can be used for this purpose when writing to agencies and professionals, but an individually composed letter should be sent to the parents and child.

At the end of all placements, or transfer from one placement to another, the social worker should collaborate with the carer to write an end of placement report. If the child continues to be Looked After, it will be necessary to draw up (or update) the child’s Care Plan and Placement Plan/Placement Information Record.

2. Unplanned Placements

The Director of Children and Families can approve an unplanned placement without the necessary consultation and checks having been made provided that:

1. There are exceptional circumstances, which justify an unplanned placement
2. There has been an interview with the proposed carer who agrees to the placement,
3. The accommodation has been inspected and
4. Information has been obtained as to the other people in the household.

The reasons for a decision to place a child on this basis must be fully recorded, signed by the Director of Children and Families and placed on the child’s file.

In these circumstances, a Care Plan should be completed at the time or within a maximum of seven days of the placement, if the Director of Children and Families authorises it.

A Placement Information Record must also be completed before or on the day of the placement and approved by the Director of Children and Families.

A Placement Information Record should be completed prior to the placement, but the Director of Children and Families may authorise that this be completed up to 7 days after the placement starts.

For unplanned placements the Placement with Parents Procedure to be undertaken and the Placement Information Record presented to the Director of Children and Families within six weeks.

3. Placements during Proceedings

The Director of Children and Families may approve a placement during the course of care proceedings. Placement with Parents regulations to be completed within six weeks.

End