1.6.1 Contact with Parents and Siblings

Contents

1. Introduction
2. Approving and Planning Contact
3. Supervised and Unsupervised Contact
4. Activities
5. Cancellation of Contact
6. Review of Contact Arrangements
7. Termination of Contact
8. Guidance on Observing Contact

1. Introduction

Young people are actively encouraged to maintain contact (where appropriate) with their family, friends and significant others.

However, contact between children and parents or siblings may only be permitted if previously agreed by the social worker and set out in the child’s Placement Plan.

All contact must be agreed as part of the young persons individual Placement Plan and staff should ensure that any young person wishing to have contact with someone that is already authorised in the placement plan, provides them with sufficient information e.g. name, address, relationship and proposed contact so that the Social Worker can be contacted to authorise contact prior to it taking place.

Family and friends are welcome to visit young people in as long as arrangements are made in advance.

These visits can either be supervised or unsupervised - depending upon the individual care plan of the young person.

Both direct and indirect contact arrangements should always be clearly detailed setting out how contact will take place, the venue, the frequency and how the arrangements will be evaluated and reviewed and a contingency plan for any arrangements that do not go as planned.

2.  Approving and Planning Contact

Also see Section 7, Termination of Contact

Children should be encouraged and supported to maintain contact with parents and siblings, and parents should be encouraged to take part in activities in the home and organised for their children. Such contacts should be consistent with the child's Care Plan; which, itself, must take account of any Child Protection Plan or Contact Order that may be in force.

Contact between children and parents or siblings may only be permitted if previously agreed by the social worker and set out in the child's Placement Plan.

The purpose of the contact and how it will be evaluated must be made clear in the Plan.

Both direct and indirect contact arrangements should always be clearly detailed setting out how contact will take place, the venue, the frequency and how the arrangements will be evaluated and reviewed.

3. Supervised and Unsupervised Contact

Guidance on observing contact: See Section 8, Guidance on Observing Contact

The need to supervise contact should be considered as part of the assessment and planning process and any arrangements set out in the child's Placement Plan. This restriction should only be as a result of a court order or as a result of consultation with the Placing Authority and this should always be as part of the planning process. These agreements must be in writing and regularly reviewed.

3.1 Unsupervised Contact

Children may only have unsupervised contact with parents and siblings with the agreement of the Placing Authority and where the arrangements for such contact are set out in the Placement Plan.

3.2 Supervised Contact

The need to supervise contact should be considered as part of the assessment and planning process and any arrangements set out in the child's Placement Plan. 

This restriction should only be as a result of a court order, as required by a Child Protection Plan or by agreement with the parent(s), for example, where a child may be disruptive or the parent(s) require other assistance whilst having contact with their children. It is also essential to consult the Placing Authority and this should always be as part of the planning process. These agreements must be in writing and regularly reviewed.

Where supervised contact is deemed appropriate or necessary, the reasons should be clearly recorded and the role of the care worker(s) as supervisor(s) clearly defined by the social worker and recorded accordingly in the Placement Plan. 

Where possible the supervising care worker should be known to the child and the family before the supervised contact takes place.

The Placement Plan is required to detail the extent of supervision required of the staff member i.e. it may be sufficient to supervise from an adjacent room, the duration of the visit and if the visit is confined to a certain identified area i.e. a specified children's home or family centre.  Staff supervising such visits should familiarise themselves with the requirements as detailed in the Placement Plan and follow the requirements specified.

3.3 Staff Visiting Family Homes

If it is likely that staff will visit children or supervise them in the family homes, they must consult the manager/social worker beforehand - and a risk assessment should be completed.  Advice should be provided to staff on the risks and strategies they should adopt.

If staff are confronted with unacceptable behaviour during the visit, they should attempt to comply with the guidance provided by their manager or in accordance with their training/skills and the principles or procedures outlined in this manual.

If staff feel at significant risk, they should leave, preferably with the child, and contact the manager or the Police at the first opportunity.

3.4 Concerns during Contact

Should staff have any concerns about their own, the child's or other people's safety during contact they should inform/consult the manager or on call manager.  If this is not possible, staff should take what reasonable steps they can to reduce or prevent any risk or, in exceptional circumstances, they should notify the police. 

If the police are called to assist with the management of a contact it is deemed to be a notifiable event and should be reported to senior managers, the Regulatory Authority and others.

3.5 Recording of Contact

Staff observations of the contact must be clearly recorded in daily records.

Any concerns about the contact should be discussed with the manager, who may decide to consult the social worker. As necessary, future arrangements must be amended as a result of such consultations, and set out in the Placement Plan.

4. Activities

Parents, relatives and friends, where appropriate, should be encouraged to take part in the activities undertaken by their child. Staff should remain sensitive to the feelings of other children living in the home but should not adopt a position of failing to encourage parental or other involvement because the other residents do not have access to parental or family contact. It is appropriate to assist a child in selecting which activities they encourage their parents or others to attend. Staff should be sensitive to ensure that other young people are involved. It is best to encourage visits to activities which either involve the child as an individual or to activities which involve a larger group of children (such as a ‘sports day’ or ‘drama production’) where groups of parents and social workers are present and where also a significant number of other children will not be having individual visitors on those days.

5. Cancellation of Contact

Where contact does not take place in accordance with the Plan, there must be a good reason, for example that the child is too ill to attend.  Wherever possible, the member of staff should consult the child's social worker in advance if they consider there is a good reason to cancel the contact. However staff must be sensitive to the fact that contact can be a difficult time for a child and that they may have ambivalent feelings. Additional support may be required.

If contact is cancelled, the social worker or, if the social worker is not available, the member of staff must ensure as far as practicable that the parent is informed in advance and that the reason for the decision is explained.  The social worker or member of staff should arrange an alternative contact. 

If contact does not take place and consultation has not been possible with the social worker, the member of staff must inform the child's social worker as soon as possible and confirm in writing the decision to cancel and the reason.

If contact is delayed or the child refuses to co-operate with arrangements, those due to have contact should be notified and an explanation given or arrangements changed.

Contact arrangements must not be withdrawn as a Sanction imposed on a child, however, contact arrangements may have to be restricted or changed in order to reduce risks to the child or others.

6. Review of Contact Arrangements

Contact arrangements, including the continuing need for supervision, should be reviewed in the child's Looked After Review and the Placement Plan Review. 

Where the child is on a list of children with a Child Protection Plan the contact arrangements should be reviewed as required in the Child Protection Plan.

Where a Contact Order is in force and it is considered that the contact arrangements set out in the Order should be altered, legal advice should be obtained by the social worker as to the need to seek a variation of the Court Order.

7. Termination of Contact

Where it is considered that the child's contact with the parents should be suspended or terminated, the social worker must be consulted.  The social worker may then need to seek legal advice and the authority of a senior manager before agreeing to suspension or termination.

Where the child is the subject of an Emergency Protection Order, Interim Care Order or Care Order, an application to the Court for authority to terminate the contact will always be necessary.

If contact is suspended or terminated, the social worker must amend the child's Care Plan and the Manager of the home must ensure the child's Placement Plan reflects the decision.

8. Guidance on Observing Contact

Abuse may affect young people's behaviour in many ways. It is important for staff to be aware of this in order to protect children and also to make informed observations.

Young people who have suffered physical abuse may respond to frustration with aggression as a learnt response or perpetuate being a victim. Obviously this has implications for the staff working in the home. Interactions with other children need to be closely monitored. For those young people who have been sexually abused they may have blurred sexual boundaries i.e. knowledge of sex exceeding that expected of someone of their chronological age. They may have a propensity to explore further thereby presenting a potential risk to other young people. They may portray as a victim, withdrawn with low esteem and self worth and the possibility of making themselves a target for further abuse.

There are many ways in which abuse can manifest in presenting behaviour hence the need for the home to produce detailed behaviour profiles and comprehensive risk assessments. These two documents should advise staff on the level of supervision / observation needed.

Staff should also have an awareness on what the parameters of acceptable contact are between children in relation to their chronological age. It is important that any member of staff witnessing what they believe to be abusive contact between children intervenes, makes detailed notes and brings it to the attention of a manager immediately.

A final note is on maintaining objectivity in reporting observations and being aware of issues of children’s rights to privacy and confidentiality. Ann Cattanah ‘Play Therapy with Abused Children’ (1992) writes, “I recently watched a series of slides showing children with injuries caused by physical and sexual abuse. It was too easy to disregard the individuality of the child in the photograph, perhaps our only way to cope with the shock is to de-personalise the child. However, there is a child, really hurt, and we need to acknowledge that. Even by the act of taking the photograph, unless the child gives permission and understands their purpose, we are further abusing the child, taking away their rights to privacy and respect”

Kempe ‘Child Abuse’ (1978) stated that “Child abuse involves a hurt child. If we are to help hurt children, initially we have to face and acknowledge the hurts such children suffer. It is difficult for the professional to face some of the cruelties inflicted upon children. If we become too accepting we can become sucked into the abuse ourselves and dismiss its effects on the children, or we can be overwhelmed by the cruelty and become paralysed and unable to help”.

End