Caretaking and Transfer Policy

  1. Managing cases from out of the local area can present difficulties with communication. This policy hopes to prevent these difficulties by establishing a clear and robust agreement between the home YOS and Bracknell Forest YOS so that young people are provided with a good service, and risk of serious harm to others and the young persons' safety and well-being is managed safely;

  2. Before a request for caretaking or transfer of a case is accepted Bracknell Forest YOS will require a completed Caretaking/Transfer request form together with the relevant paperwork listed on the form. All information will be shared and exchanged in line with GDPR;

  3. Bracknell Forest YOS may request a meeting with the home YOS Officer, the young person and their parents/carers and Social Worker (if relevant), to clarify any issues regarding information or case management. A face to face meeting with the home YOS will be mandatory if the young person is assessed as a very high or high risk of harm to others or themselves before the care taking arrangement is agreed;

  4. If accepted as a case for 'caretaking', Bracknell Forest YOS will supervise a young person under the terms of their Order/ Licence on a temporary basis for a period of three months before considering a full transfer of case responsibility. This will only be considered if the young person's accommodation is stable. There will be further exceptions to this, e.g. in the case of young people from other authorities who are placed at SWAAY for therapeutic intervention following sentencing for sexual offences, the home YOS will be expected to retain case responsibility until the end of the Sentence;

  5. The Bracknell Forest YOS Case Manager will provide regular updates to the Case Manager at the Home YOS, the frequency and method of which can be negotiated on a case by case basis;

  6. Bracknell Forest YOS will act on the decisions made by the home YOS regarding issues of non-compliance and breach. Any subsequent work arising from noncompliance and further offending such as a PSR request or accommodation, will remain the responsibility of the home YOS. Bracknell Forest YOS will assist by providing information;

  7. A review of the arrangement will be held after three months. Other meetings may be required based on the risks and circumstances presented by the young person. It is also expected that the Home YOS will make themselves available to contribute to MAPPA meetings LAC reviews and Progress reviews where possible;

  8. If a full transfer is agreed Bracknell Forest YOS will confirm the permanence of the transfer in writing;

  9. For the case to be transferred on a permanent basis the Petty Sessional Area needs to be transferred at the sentencing Court. It will be the Home YOS responsibility to make the application to the Court;

  10. If the young person moves back to their home YOS area at any point, the case will be transferred back within 10 working days;

  11. Bracknell Forest YOS provides volunteer appropriate adults to ensure that young people arrested in the Bracknell Forest area have access to an appropriate adult and are transferred out of police custody under the requirements of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act. There is a small cost related to this service, i.e (AA expenses) which will be passed to the home YOS whilst the temporary arrangement is in place;

  12. If financial assistance is needed under S.17 of the Children Act 1989 during the period of temporary transfer, this will also be charged to the home YOS.