Moving to Another Placement

REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS

The Care Planning Standard
Regulation 14

Regulation 5 – Engaging with the Wider System to Ensure Each Child’s Needs are Met

SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER

This chapter covers when a child or young person is making a planned move (i.e. one that is agreed within their Care Plan)  and applies whether they are returning home or moving to another placement.

RELATED CHAPTERS

Placement Planning and Disruption Meetings Procedure

Preparation for Leaving Care Procedure

AMENDMENT

This chapter was amended in November 2022 to add a link to the NYAS ‘My Things Matter’ Report – support and respect care-experienced children and their belongings when they move. (See Section 2, Arrangements for Transfer or Discharge).


Contents

  1. Decision Making and Notice Period
  2. Arrangements for Transfer or Discharge
  3. Notifications
  4. Aftercare/Contact


1. Decision Making and Notice Period

Children must remain in the home unless it no longer meets their needs as set out in the Care Plan, or the home has been unable to deliver the services required to meet child’s needs. Except in an urgent situation (for example because of an immediate risk of serious harm to the child or to protect others from serious injury), any change of placement, should  usually only take place following a Looked After Review chaired by the Child’s Independent Safeguarding Reviewing Officer (CISRO).

Where it appears that the young person will benefit from a transfer from one home to another, the home’s manager should consult with the relevant senior manager before any discussion takes place either with the young person or the social worker. Once a decision in principle has been agreed, an alternative internal placement should be identified. At this point discussion will take place with the placing authority social worker outlining the reasons for the proposed move. A placement move can only take place once approval from the placing authority has been received in writing. A senior manager can give approval for a move of placement in the event of an emergency but must discuss this with the placing authority on the next working day.

For a temporary move out of the home, it must be remembered that the child will remain under current Care Plan and the staff should discuss with the child that expectations such as house rules, education etc. still apply.

Before any change of placement or transfer to another home is made the following people must be consulted and their views recorded:

  • The child;
  • The child’s Social Worker;
  • The Child’s Independent Safeguarding Reviewing Officer (CISRO) (who may decide to convene a Looked After Review before any decision is made to move the child).

The social worker should notify/consult the child’s parents / carers.

Specific requirements at Key Stage 4

A senior officer in the local authority must approve of 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.

Before approving the decision the local authority must ensure that:

  • The child's wishes and feelings have been ascertained and given due consideration;
  • The wishes and feelings of the parent(s) have been ascertained;
  • The educational provision will promote educational achievement and is consistent with the PEP;
  • The Children’s Independent Safeguarding and Reviewing Officer (CISRO) has been consulted;
  • The Designated Teacher at the child's school has been consulted.

Other than in Key Stage 4, where the local authority proposes making any change to the child's placement that would have the effect of disrupting the arrangements made for education and training, they must ensure that other arrangements are made for education or training that meet the child's needs and are consistent with the PEP.

There is an expectation that a young person’s education in Key Stage 4 should not be disrupted other than as a consequence of an emergency placement.

(NOTE: if a child is moved in an emergency or the placement is terminated because of an immediate risk of serious harm to the child or to protect others from serious injury; and it is impossible to consult people listed above, they must be notified within 1 working day. If a child is moved out of the home temporarily, they should be treated as if they are still living at the children’s home in which they were placed, and their placement cannot be terminated without the agreement of the placing authority as described below).

Any decision to terminate a young person's placement and request that they be discharged and moved to another home must be approved by a senior manager.

Normally, young people will remain in the existing home for a minimum of 28 days after the decision to move has been reached to enable proper planning to take place. In exceptional circumstances however it may be necessary for a young person to move immediately. In such circumstances, the home’s manager must consult the social worker but the final decision will rest with a senior manager.

Agreement to the change in placement / move must be issued by the placing authority in writing.


2. Arrangements for Transfer or Discharge

Assuming that the social worker and CISRO have been consulted, the existing manager should liaise with the new manager and take all reasonable steps to ensure the young person's transfer or discharge is managed sensitively and that the move is a positive experience.

The young person and parents should be consulted and kept informed of all key decisions and arrangements in relation to any transfer or discharge. If possible, the young person and parents should undertake visits to the new home/Placement and should be provided with information such as the Statement of Purpose or Children’s Guide.

The existing manager should liaise with the following people to ensure that the child's plans and records (see below) are completed or brought up to date before the young person moves:

  • The social worker;
  • The link worker;
  • Parents or those with Parental Responsibility;
  • The young person;
  • The new manager;
  • Virtual School Head;
  • Other relevant people/agencies, e.g. Personal Adviser, Advocate.

The Plans or records that must be brought up to date or completed by the social worker or others, and made available for the new manager / carer, are:

Prior to the move, the existing and new home managers / new carers must liaise with each other to ensure that all appropriate arrangements are made, for example:

  1. The young person's Placement Plan - the new home manager / carer is responsible for this but the existing home manager should contribute/offer advice on plans/strategies that have been used. Ideally the Placement Plan must be completed before or upon admission, or where this is not possible, within 5 working days of the start of the placement. The existing home manager must produce an End of Placement report within 3 days of the child's discharge;
  2. The existing home manager should ensure that the young person's file is brought up to date. Any hard copy documents should be  passed to the new home manager;
  3. If it appears necessary, the new home manager / carer / social worker should arrange a Planning Meeting, preferably before the move/transfer but within 5 working days of the placement. (Note that essential information for providing safe care to the child must be available to the home at the start of the placement). See Placement Planning Meetings Procedure;
  4. If there is a risk that the young person may go missing or absent, the new home manager should arrange for a Risk Assessment to be completed;
  5. The new manager / carer should liaise with the social worker to ensure arrangements are in place for the young person to be registered with a GP, Dentist and Optician (see Health and Wellbeing, Health Notifications and Access to Services Procedure) and should liaise with the existing home manager to obtain information/arrangements for any medication or other healthcare arrangements;
  6. The new home manager should check to ensure that the young person has had a Health Care Assessment in line with set out in Health and Emotional Well-being Assessments and Plans Procedure, and liaise with the social worker as necessary if this is required;
  7. The new home manager should ensure the young person is provided with:
    • A copy of the Children's Guide;
    • A copy of the Placing Authority's Complaints Procedure;
    • A Discharge Clothing List;
    • Details of how to access the local independent advocacy service;
    • All personal items and belongings (excluding withheld items).

For all transfers/discharges within our care or to other placements, the existing home manager should ensure the following arrangements are made:

  1. That the young person takes all their clothing and personal belongings or arrangements are made for them to be passed to the new home manager. The existing home manager must ensure that the young person's belongings/clothing are packed in a luggage case / holdall or similar (see NYAS, My Things Matter Report);
  2. Where children have been with our care for an extended period, memento albums and photographs should be prepared for them so they have a record of their period of life at the home;
  3. If the young person is discharged from our care, the existing home manager must ensure that the young person's file is brought up to date, collated, tidied and archived;
  4. The existing and new home manager must ensure that others listed in Section 3, Notifications are notified of the transfer/discharge.

Important Note: where the young person will be moving to 'unregulated' accommodation (i.e. accommodation that is not regulated/inspected by OFSTED), or has a vacation placement if they are at college, the local authority must:

  1. Arrange a review of the Pathway Plan 28 days (or as soon as practicable thereafter) from the time the accommodation is provided; and
  2. Determine at what intervals (not exceeding 3 months) subsequent reviews will be carried out.


3. Notifications

The registered person must notify, without delay, the local authority for the area in which the home is located of every admission of a child into the home and every discharge of a child from the home.

The notification must state:

  1. The child’s name and date of birth;
  2. Whether the child is provided with accommodation under section 20 or 21 of the Children Act 1989(1);
  3. Whether the child is subject to a care or supervision order under section 31 of the Children Act 1989(2);
  4. The contact details for:
    1. The child’s placing authority; and
    2. The Children’s Independent Safeguarding and Reviewing Officer (CISRO) appointed for the child’s case; and
  5. Whether the child has an EHC plan and, if so, details of the local authority with responsibility for the EHC plan or for maintaining the statement of special educational needs.

The social worker should also notify the young person's parents and significant relatives or friends, and should liaise with the new home manager to arrange contact with the young person. NOTE: No contact may be permitted between the young person and their parents, relatives or friends unless agreed with the social worker and set out in the young person's Care Plan.


4. Aftercare/Contact

We are committed to enabling young people who have left our care to stay in contact with key trusted adults if they wish.

Staff in Children’s Homes can do this in a range of ways such as welcoming young people when they come back to visit the home or seeing them in their new home or community. Sometimes this is undertaken on a formal basis, such as time limited outreach support, and at other times more informally.

This contact needs to be undertaken safely and so should be agreed and recorded by the line manager of the staff concerned, and, depending on the age of the young person concerned:

  • Agreed with the social worker and/or leaving care worker;
  • Set out in the young person's Placement Plan/Care Plan or Pathway Plan.

Where there are safeguarding concerns, the staff should work strictly to a safeguarding plan or report emerging concerns and potential risks immediately to the social worker, with a view to reviewing and amending the Placement Plan/Care Plan or Pathway Plan.