3.2.3 Placements in Residential Care

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 in discussion and agreement with their line manager must consult and take account of the views of the following people:

1. The child;
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 Team/F4Me, if the child is known to them;
7. The IRO.

The views of these people should be collated and recorded by the Social Worker on the child's file and considered as part of the process.

1.2 Planning

See Section 2, The Care Plan of Decision to Look After and Care Planning Procedure or procedures relating to the initial decision to look after a child, and in relation to 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 residential care following an assessment and planning process whereby, at the time of the placement, a Care Plan and Placement Plan are in place. Such placements can only be made once the required authority has been obtained from the Head of Service.

Where the above plans are not in place, the placement is deemed to be an Emergency. Emergency Residential Placements would only be used in a last resort situation, however to ensure the safety of the child and others in the home, the same due diligence is applied and process followed as with a Planned Residential Placement. Please refer to:

See Emergency Foster Placement Procedure.

2.2 Placement Request

Where a decision has been made that a child requires a residential placement, the child's social worker/PS/Team Manager should contact the Service Lead for Residential Estates, who will confirm where placements are/will be available. Discussion and agreement with Head of Service will be made before the Service Lead for Residential Estates identifies a Home's Manager to complete the assessment to confirm suitability for placement. The Social Worker will be asked to complete the online referral form on Mosaic (CS Placement Request C1383) and send it to the identified homes manager to progress.

The Referral Step contains information about the child; the type of placement sought, the date by which the placement is required, the likely length of time for which the placement is required and the expected level of contact between the child and parents. Supporting documents should available on the Child's MOSAIC records as part of the Referral:

• Child and Family Assessment, Pathway Assessment;
• Any relevant medical reports;
• The child's Education, Health and Care Plan (where relevant);
• The most recent minutes of the last Child in Care Review (in relation to a child already looked after);
• The most recent Child in Care Plan/Pathway Path/Safety Plan;
• Strategy Discussion/Meeting or Child Protection Conference minutes (where applicable);
• And any other relevant documents.

The allocated Homes Manager will complete the assessment using all the information available as part of the assessment process and contact the social worker where necessary for clarification or for more information required. This will include the completion of an impact risk assessment to determine any risks to the child/young person and any other children/young people already in placement. The assessment will be discussed and shared with the Service Lead for Residential Estates who will then determine whether the referral is appropriate and the child/young person would benefit from a Residential Placement. It is only when this is agreed that the most appropriate placement is identified and the planned admission process should begin.

2.3 Identification of Placement

When an in-house residential placement has been identified, the placement planning process can start - see Section 2.4, Placement Planning below.

The Identified Residential Home should provide information to the Child and Social Worker and the parent(s) where appropriate. This will include:

• Statement of Purpose;
• Young Person's Guide;
• Any additional relevant information, for example details of the Staff Team and who to contact for further guidance or queries.

NOTE: from September 2021, looked after children under 16 years of age cannot be accommodated in unregulated independent or semi-independent placements.

2.4 Placement Planning

The child, parents and any other significant family members and relevant professionals should also be invited to the Planning Meeting. The purpose of the meeting is to determine the Placement Plan.

Where it is not possible to draw up a placement plan in advance of the placement, a placement plan must be made within five working days of the start of the placement [regulation 9(2)]. In any event essential information for providing safe care to the child must be available to the carer at the start of the placement. Good practice is that that the placement plan will be drawn up before the completion of the full care plan to ensure that appropriate information is shared and contacts given in a timely manner to support the child and the carer in the placement.

For children placed in residential 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. Where the authority has, or is notified of, Child Protection concerns relating to the child, or the child has gone missing from the placement or from any previous placement, the day to day arrangements put in place by the appropriate person (placement provider) to keep the child safe;
3. Any behaviours which have been of concern to previous carers and which may have contributed to previous breakdown of a placement and how the Placement Provider will seek to manage and respond to these;
4. The child's personal history, religious persuasion, cultural and linguistic background and racial origin;
5. 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;
6. Delegated Authority issues - 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, etc;
7. The Local Authority's arrangements for the financial support of the child during the placement;
8. Information concerning the child's health and education, contact arrangements, visits by the responsible authority and any arrangements for visits by an independent visitor. The content of the child's Health Plan and PEP;
9. The child's religion and culture and the manner in which these are reflected in their daily life and any help the child may need to keep these links;
10. Arrangements for contact between children, birth parents and siblings and specified other friends and relatives.

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.

The social worker must also ensure that the child is provided with information on using the authority's Complaints Procedure and information about how to access an Advocate.

Wherever possible, the Placement Planning Meeting should be used to plan any introductions to the placement, for example whether arrangements should be made for the child, parents and the social worker to visit the home and/or whether it may be appropriate to have an introductory overnight stay. If this is not possible, arrangements may be made for residential staff to visit the child and parents; or for information about the home to be sent to the child and/or the parents, for example about routines in the home, bedtimes, meals, visitors, pocket money, school, privacy and the overall expectations in relation to the child's behaviour within the home.

In all cases, the child should be accompanied to the placement by the social worker or the most appropriate person for the child/young person and helped to settle in.

Suitable luggage should be used and a child's belongings should never be transported in bin-bags or other inappropriate containers (see  NYAS, My Things Matter Report).

Lincolnshire County Council is committed to the; ‘My Things Matter’ campaign created by the National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS), to ensure that Children in Care have their belongings treated with dignity, care and respect whenever they move home.

Lincolnshire County Council will support the five pledges of the NYAS Campaign as listed below:

1. We will help you to keep your most precious belongings with you safely during your move and promise they will not be moved in bin bags;
2. We will provide written guidance for you and anyone helping you to move, which we will publish on our website;
3. We will never move or throw away your belongings without your consent and will always respect your personal property;
4. We will support you to make a complaint if any of your belongings have been lost or damaged during your move;
5. We will communicate with you about your move and ask you how the move went.

2.5 Emergency Residential Placements

Good forward planning should mean that placements made in emergency are rarely needed. Where an emergency placement is unavoidable local authorities should always make available information that is vital to allow the Home to care safely for the child – e.g. medical information, Child Protection matters and information about any known serious behavioural issues which may place a child at risk of harm to him or herself or others.

3. Support/Monitoring of Placements

3.1 Support and Monitoring of Placements

Please refer to The Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations - Volume 2: Care Planning, Placement and Case Review.

The child's social worker must visit the child in the placement within one week of the placement and then at a minimum every six weeks for the first year of the placement [regulation 28(2) (b)]. Visits during the subsequent years must also take place, at intervals of not more than 6 weeks, (or no longer than three calendar months if the placement has been formally agreed as a permanent placement which is intended to last until the child is 18). Frequency of visits should be increased to reflect the child/young person's needs [regulation 28 (2) (c) (i)].

See Visit to Children Guidance.

A Child in Care Review should be convened where:

• The child is, or has been, persistently absent from the placement;
• The placement provider, parents or area authority are concerned that the child is at risk of harm; or
• The child so requests, unless the Independent Reviewing Officer considers that the review is not justified;
• Child in Care Review is to be completed within 28 days where there are changes to the Care Plan.

See also: The Review of the Child's Plan for Children in Care.

3.2 Ending of Placements

Consideration should be given to the ending of the placement and views of the child are captured to inform future placements and lessons learnt. The child's social worker should inform all those notified of the placement when a placement ends and amend MOSAIC accordingly.

4. Further Information

Legislation, Statutory and Government Non-Statutory, Guidance

Guidance - Placing Children: Deprivation of Liberty Orders - guidance for providers, social workers and placement commissioners on placing children, subject to a deprivation of liberty order (DoL), in unregistered settings.

Appendix 1: Placements in Residential Care Process

Click here to view Appendix 1: Placements in Residential Care Process.