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Contents

1. Consultation and Planning
2. Placements Process - Planned Placements
3. Support, Monitoring and Ending of Placements
4. Permanent Placements
5. Placement Strategy

1. Consultation and Planning

1.1 Consultation

At the point that it is determined that a placement may be required, and throughout the subsequent process of identification, planning and placement, the social worker must consult and take account of the views of the following people:

1. The child bearing in mind their age and stage of development
2. The child’s parents or those with Parental Responsibility
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 who are significant to the child
5. The child’s school or education authority
6. The Youth Offending Service, if the child is known to them

The views of these people should be given by them, in writing, or should be recorded by the social worker. If the child's wishes are not acted upon, the reason should be given.

1.2 Planning

See Decision to Look After Procedure for procedures relating to the initial decision to Look After a child, and the drafting and approval of the Care Plan.

2. Placements Process - Planned Placements

2.1 Definition of Planned Placement

A Planned Placement is the placement of a child in a foster home or Residential Home, following an assessment and planning process whereby, at the time of the placement, a Care Plan and Placement Plan are in place. In most circumstances a Core Assessment should have been completed.

Where the above plans are not in place, the placement is deemed to be an Emergency.

2.2 Placement Request

For placement with permanent/long-term foster carers, see Section 4, Permanent Placements.

Before a placement request can be processed the child’s case must have been the subject of a planning meeting, chaired by the Designated Manager (Placements), which has agreed the plan. The Director must have given the planned placement financial approval before a provider can be approached.  

The planning meeting will only authorise a placement if satisfied that there are no alternatives to the child being or remaining Looked After. 

Once a placement has been approved the Social Worker will contact providers of care. There is a list of previously used providers which can be obtained from a Practice Manager. (See Section 5, Placement Strategy).

They will need to be able to provide:

• Initial Assessment or Core Assessment;
• Any relevant medical reports, including details of medication that the child may be taking at the point of placement;
• The child’s Statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN) (where relevant);
• The most recent Looked After Review minutes (in relation to a child already Looked After);
• The most recent Strategy Meeting or Child Protection Conference minutes (where applicable).

2.3 Matching and Approval of Placement

The matching process should consider the child's needs especially regarding the following key areas:

• The child's education
• The expectations around contact with relatives and friends
• The child's identity/race/culture
• The child's history
• The child's behaviour
• The child's health
• The focus of the placement

The matching process should also consider the carer's viability and:

• Their experience
• Their strengths
• The family composition
• The distance from the foster home to the child's school
• Other children in the placement
• The foster carer's children

Once a placement with a fostering agency or children’s home has been authorised by the Designated Manager (Placements), the social worker will consult appropriate providers, identify possible placements and liaise with their practice manager about their suitability. In the first instance the placement officers in neighbouring authorities should be contacted.

At this stage initial discussions will be held with the providers as to the appropriateness of the referral, time-scales for vacancies and the basic costs of the placement.

The social worker will ascertain the services included in the basic cost, what would be regarded as extra cost and the conditions relating to the notice period.

If a placement appears suitable, preferred providers will always be contacted in the first instance and if a vacancy is available, the social worker will undertake the following:

• Contact the Regulatory Authority
• Request a copy of the provider’s registration certificate and the most recent inspection report
• Obtain at least verbal references from other local authorities who have placed children with the provider in the last 12 months
• Liaise with social workers who have previously used the provider

The views of the local authority where the child will be living must be sought and taken into account and a letter of notification will also be sent to the Authority in question. A standard letter is available for this purpose.

Where there is a child already in a proposed foster placement and they are from a different local authority, the consent of that child’s local authority should be sought by the social worker for the child about to be placed.

The social worker may then arrange visits to the proposed placement, with the child (if appropriate) and parents (also if appropriate).

When the placement has been agreed as suitable, the social worker should contact the commissioning manager who will arrange the terms and a contract for the placement.

The provider’s admissions procedure will then be followed.

Wherever possible, the child's social worker should visit potential carers and as required consult with other professionals, prior to a decision about the appropriateness of a placement being made.

In relation to the sharing of bedrooms, each child over three years old should have their own bedroom, or where this is not possible, the placing authority must agree to the sharing of the bedroom and this must therefore be addressed during the matching process.

The fostering service must also take steps to promote the child's identity, self- esteem and confidence through a range of measures which respect the child's individual identity.

These should include:

• Enabling children to develop emotional resilience and self esteem
• Allowing children to exercise choice about what they eat, preparing meals and snacks within the limits that a reasonable parent would set
• Enabling children to exercise choice about clothes and personal requisites

Children receiving a personal allowance appropriate to their age and understanding.

Note: In addition to the above approvals, in order to avoid placements that disrupt a child's education,the Nominated Officer must approve any change of placement affecting a child in Key Stage 4  except in an emergency/ where the placement is terminated because of an immediate risk of serious harm to the child  or to protect others from  serious injury - see Education of Looked After Children Procedure.

2.4 Placement Planning

Before the child is placed, the child's social worker will liaise with the foster carer's supervising social worker or the manager of the home.  The Social Worker will then arrange a pre-placement planning meeting.

The child, parents, anyone who has Parental Responsibility and any other significant family members and relevant professionals should also be invited.

The purpose of the meeting is to share information about the child and the Care Plan, complete and update the Chronology, Referral and Information Record and the Placement Plan (which will be recorded on the Placement Information Record) and plan the timing of the placement.  This will involve a discussion of the child's needs, to ensure careful matching including the child's personal history, religious persuasion, cultural and linguistic background and racial origin, as well as the child's health and education needs and how these are to be met. It will also include the arrangements for registering the child with local health professionals (GP, dentist and optician).

In addition the placement planning meeting will consider the type of introduction process required, for example whether arrangements should be made for the child, parents and the social worker to visit the foster home and/or whether it may be appropriate to have an introductory overnight stay. Children should be able to visit the foster home and talk in private with the carer. If this is not possible, arrangements may be made for the carers to visit the child and parents; or for information about the foster carers to be sent to the child and/or the parents, for example about routines in the foster home, bedtimes, meals, visitors, pocket money, school, privacy and the overall expectations in relation to the child's behaviour within the home.

For children placed in foster care, the Placement Plan should cover the following issues in addition to those for all placements set out in the Decision to Look After and Care Planning Procedure:

1. The type of accommodation to be provided and the address.
2. The child's personal history, religious persuasion, cultural and linguistic background and racial origin.
3. Where the child  is Accommodated, the respective responsibilities of the Local Authority and parents/anyone with Parental Responsibility; any delegation of responsibility by parents/anyone with Parental Responsibility to the Local Authority for the child's  day-to-day care; the expected duration of the arrangements and the steps to bring the arrangements to an end, including arrangements for the child  to return to live with parents/anyone with Parental Responsibility; where the child  is aged 16 or over and agrees to being provided with accommodation under Section 20 Children Act 1989, that fact.
4. The circumstances in which it is necessary to obtain in advance the Local Authority's  approval for the child to take part in school trips or overnight stays
5. The Local Authority's arrangements for the financial support of the child during the placement
6. The obligation on the carers to comply with the terms of the foster care agreement. 

Once complete, the plan will be circulated to the child (where they able to understand it), the parent/s the foster carer or home manager and (in the case of a foster placement) the supervising social worker.

The social worker should ensure that any Children's Guide or other information about the placement that is available for the child is obtained and given to him/her. Children must understand house expectations before the placement is made.

The social worker must also ensure that the child is provided with information on using the City Corporation's Complaints Procedure.

Information about children who have medical conditions or who are on a course of medication must be obtained by the child's social worker and passed on to the carer.

In all cases, the child should be accompanied to the placement by the social worker and helped to settle in.

2.5 Notification of Placement

The Social Worker must complete the paper records and update SWIFT. They must advise the Commissioning Officer who will make the necessary contractual arrangements.

The notifications should be made before the start of the placement wherever possible, or within five working days.

Notification of the placement must also be sent to all those consulted and involved in the decision-making process. The social worker must also make arrangements for the following:

1. The appointment of an Independent Reviewing Officer and the convening of the first Looked After Review See Post Placement Arrangements Procedure.
2. The appropriate local education authority and Children's Social Care Services for the area where the child is placed. 

These notifications must be made in writing advising of the placement decision and the name and address of the home where the child is to be placed. 

NB: The responsibility for ongoing and specialist treatment is retained by the home authority and notification to the Health Authority where the child will be living is no longer required.

(The National Health Service (functions of strategic health authorities and primary care trusts and admission arrangements) (England)(amendments) regulations 2007)It will be necessary for the social worker to ensure the child is registered with a GP, Dentist and Optician, either retaining practices known to them or in the area where they are placed. 

In relation to a first Looked After placement it will also be necessary for the social worker to arrange a Health Care Assessment (See Health Care Assessments and Health Care Plans Procedure). 

The social worker must also complete a Personal Education Plan (see Education of Looked After Children Procedure).

3. Support, Monitoring and Ending of Placements

3.1 Support And Monitoring Of Placements

The child’s social worker must visit the child in the placement within one week of the placement and then at specified intervals; see Social Worker Visits Procedure. The records should be monitored for quality, adequacy and retention.

Where the needs of the child in the placement will involve costs in addition to those approved, the placement must be referred by the social worker to the Designated Manager (Placements) for authority for any such additional costs before they are incurred.

3.2 Ending Of Placements

All those notified of the placement should be notified also when a placement ends.

All written information on the child, which the foster carer holds, should be transferred to the child’s social worker.

Where a placement with an external provider ends in an unplanned way, the child’s social worker will call a meeting to discuss the causes of the breakdown and inform further placement planning.  The child’s social worker, the child, the parents, a representative of the external provider and any other significant people (as agreed by the child’s social worker) should be invited.

Children must, when they leave the home, be helped to understand the reasons and be supported with the transition - including return home or independence.

Foster carers must be supported to maintain links with children who leave their care, where appropriate.

4. Permanent Placements

4.1 Identification and Approval of Placement

Where a child’s proposed placement with a foster carer is to achieve Permanence or the plan is for the existing placement to become permanent, the request for a placement must be made directly to the Designated Manager (Placements). The referral must include minutes of the last review meeting, and a Core Assessment.

The following must occur in order to obtain the necessary approval:

1. In relation to children under 12, the plan to achieve permanence for the child through a long term foster placement must initially be referred to the Adoption Panel upon whose recommendation the Designated Manager (Permanence Plans) can give approval in principle.
2. Where the identified foster carers are not already approved as long-term foster carers, it will be necessary for the fostering agency to conduct an assessment to obtain such approval. 
   
   When complete, the assessment should be presented to the appropriate Fostering Approvals Panel, who may recommend to the Designated Manager that the foster carers be approved as long term.
3. In all cases, an assessment of the suitability of the match of the long-term foster carers to the child or children in question should be conducted. 
   
   In these circumstances, the child’s social worker should liaise with the foster carers’ supervising social worker to agree who should undertake the assessment. Where the child is already placed with the foster carers, the assessments must be completed within 4 months. 
   
   When complete, the assessments should be presented to the Fostering Approvals Panel, who may recommend to the Designated Manager (Permanence Plans) that the matching be approved.

4.2 Disruption Meetings

Where a long-term foster placement, which was intended to be permanent, breaks down, the child’s social worker will arrange a disruption meeting: See Planning and Disruption Meetings Procedure

5. Placement Strategy

5.1 Purpose of the Strategy

The purpose of the Strategy is to ensure that:

• All Looked After Children are only placed in the Looked After System after a full assessment of their needs has been carried out, other than in an emergency when a full assessment is not possible.
• All Looked After Children are only placed in the Looked After System once it is demonstrated that they cannot be retained with support, in their own family, Connected Person or community.
• A clear Placement Plan (recorded on the Placement Information Record) is drawn up, which identifies how the placement will meet the child's needs and that all possibilities for the safe rehabilitation of the child to their own family have been exhausted.
• The placement provides appropriate, high quality care.
• Permanence is achieved as soon as possible either through the child’s return home or through permanent substitute care.

5.2 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.

5.3 Planning

Placements will be made in a planned way wherever possible.

Appropriate Plans will be in place – see Decision to Look After Procedure.

5.4 Quality Assurance

Placements will be made within the child’s family network wherever possible.

Wherever possible sibling groups of children should be placed together.

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. Wherever possible, children will be placed within 20 miles of the City of London.

Placement moves will be avoided unless these are part of the Placement Plan/Placement Information Record.

Where a placement ends in an unplanned way, the child’s social worker will convene a meeting to discuss the causes of the breakdown. 

5.5 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 all Looked After Children.

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

See also Permanence Planning Procedure.

End