5.1.4 Care and Placement Plans Guidance

Contents

1. Care Plans
2. Placement Information Records
3. Placement Plans
4. Other Key Plans/Records

1. Care Plans

Every Looked After Child must have a Care Plan completed and updated by the Placing Authority/Social Worker.

The Care Plan must be prepared prior to a child’s placement, or, if it is not practicable to do so, within 10 working days of the child being placed.

The Care Plan must be regularly reviewed at Looked After Reviews; it must then be redrafted/updated and circulated within 10 working days of the Review.

The overall purpose of the plan is to safeguard and promote the interests of the child, prevent drift and focus work with the child and the family.

The Care Plan sets out its overall objectives and timescales (including, by the time of the second Looked After Review, how permanence will be achieved for the child), it summarises the needs of the child, identifies the services required to meet those needs and describes the management and support of the plan by the local authority. Care Plans contain descriptions of children's needs and how these needs will be met while they are living away from home.

Before a Court grants a Care Order it must be satisfied that a suitable Care Plan has been drawn up.

2. Placement Information Records

Placement Information Records must be completed by the child’s social worker within 5 working days of the child being placed, with a copy being forwarded to the home.

The Placement Information Record* is the responsibility of the Placing Authority/Social Worker.

The purpose of the Placement Information Record is to set out the arrangements for the placement of the child in residential care or foster care.

Children placed in children's homes, will also have an internal Placement Plan, as set out in the next section.

*Prior to the Implementation of the Integrated Children's System, every Looked After Child was required to have a Looked After Children (LAC) Placement Plan Part 1 and Part 2, completed by the child's social worker. The LAC Placement Plan(s) set out the day to day arrangements for the care of a child. When the Integrated Children's System (ICS) is implemented (this is occurring on a phased basis across the Country), the LAC Placement Plan(s) have been replaced by the Placement Information Record, which has the same purpose as the LAC Placement Plan(s).

3. Placement Plans

Every child placed with us must have a Placement Plan drawn up and reviewed by the Home, which sets out the detail of the arrangements, for example, including a behaviour management plan, for the child. The Placement Plan should incorporate a detailed Individual Crisis Management Plan.

The responsibility for completing and updating the Placement Plan rests with the manager of the home and  the Keyworker.

The Placement Plan should be reviewed every 13 weeks  and following a Looked After Review or any change to the Child's Care Plan/Placement Information.

4. Other Key Plans/Records

4.1 Education

An Individual Education Plan (IEP) should be drawn up for all Looked After Children by the school,in consultation with the Link worker it sets out the day to day arrangements for educating the Child e.g. short term targets, strategies to be used, outcomes.

Personal Education Plans (PEPs) must be drawn up, by the child’s social worker, before the child is placed (or within 10 working days in the case of an emergency placement), and be available for the first Looked After Review.

As an element of good care planning, education is crucial to creating opportunities for children in their future lives.

In partnership with the Placing Authority , social worker and Head of Education Registered Managers should ensure each child has a Personal Education Plan (PEP), which will identify the educational needs of the child and how they should be provided for.

For Children who are subject to Statements of Special Educational Needs (SEN), their IEP and/or PEP should cover their needs but there may be a separate SEN Plan.

4.2 Health Care

All children who are Looked After should have a Health Care Plan which incorporates a statement of the child's health care needs and how those needs will be addressed. Some placing authorities incorporate Health care Plans into Care Plans, some have separate Health Care Plans.

The responsibility for completing and updating the Health Care Plan rests with the manager of the home and The Link Worker (Children’s Homes Regulations Wales 2007).

For more information see Health Care Assessments and Plans Procedure.

4.3 Leaving Care

All Children who are preparing to leave care should have a Pathway Plan setting out the route to the future for young people leaving the Looked After service and will state how their needs will be met during their transition to independence. Young people may be entitled to support and guidance in relation to their Pathway Plan until they are 21; and up to the age of 24 if in education.

Some placing authorities incorporate Pathway Plans into Care Plans, some have separate Pathway Plans; authorities will also have their own policies for when Pathway Plans should be drawn up.

Each young person at Bryn Melyn Care should have a Pathway Plan in place from their 16th birthday.

4.4 Other key records

This summarises the other key records that Children ought to have, it does not address specialist records or plans:

Core Assessment Record:  A core assessment provides a structured, in-depth assessment of the child's needs where their circumstances are complex. The Core Assessment Record provides a structured framework for social workers to record information gathered from a variety of sources to provide evidence for their professional judgements, and facilitate analysis, decision making and planning. A core assessment should be completed within 35 working days of its commencement. A completed Core Assessment Record is then used to develop the Child's Plan.

Chronology (or Essential Information Record Part 2): The Chronology is started as part of the process of Core Assessment. It records all significant events and changes in the life of a child or young person. The Chronology is an analytical tool designed to help social workers understand the impact, both immediate and cumulative, of events and changes on the child or young person. The Chronology replaces Essential Information Record Part Two for Looked After Children.

Assessment and Action Record (or Assessment and Progress Record): An Assessment and Progress Record (APR) should be updated by the social worker prior to each Looked After Review. Prior to the review the child, where appropriate, carer, parent(s) and social worker should meet to prepare for the review. A decision will need to be made about whether the APR reflects the child/young person's current progress and the APR should be updated as appropriate.

Looked After Review Report: After each Looked After Review, the Chair (Independent Reviewing Officer) should produce and circulate a report within 20 working days of the Review.

End