Children’s Homes
SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER
This procedure applies to all arrangements for children looked after in children’s homes
See Decision to Look After and Care Planning for procedures relating to the initial decision to look after a child, and the drafting and approval of the Care Plan and other essential documentation.
Children may also come to live in a children’s home having acquired legal Looked After status following a Remand to Local Authority Accommodation, see Remands to Local Authority Accommodation or to Youth Detention Accommodation Procedure.
NOTE: from September 2021, children in our care under 16 years of age cannot live in unregulated independent or semi-independent care arrangements (see Placements in Other Arrangements Procedure).
See also: Placements in Secure Accommodation on Welfare Grounds, Use of Inherent Jurisdiction to Authorise a Placement Involving a Deprivation of Liberty, which provides information on requirements under: Guidance - Placing Children: Deprivation of Liberty Orders (Ofsted) - guidance for providers, social workers and placement commissioners on placing children, subject to a deprivation of liberty order (DoL), in unregistered settings.
A local authority placing a child should check whether the placement is registered with Ofsted in England or CIW in Wales.
It is a legal requirement that:
- A children's home in England registers with Ofsted;
- A care home service in Wales registers with the CIW.
It is an offence to operate or manage a children's home or care home service placement if you are not registered.
RELATED CHAPTER
Out of Area Care Arrangements Procedure
AMENDMENT
In March 2024 this chapter was updated to include information from 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.
Contents
- Consultation
- Process for making a Care Arrangement in a Children’s Hom
- Support, Monitoring and Ending of the Children’s Home Care Arrangement
- Further Information
1. Consultation
At the point it is decided that a child may need to come into local authority care, and throughout the subsequent process of identifying, planning and moving to their care arrangement, the social worker must consult and take account of the views of the following people:
- The child;
- The child's parents, or those with Parental Responsibility;
- Anyone who is not a parent but has been caring for or looking after the child;
- Other members of the child's family who are significant to the child;
- The child's school or education authority;
- The Youth Offending Service, if the child is known to them;
- Any other relevant person, e.g. nursery, health care professional, Children's Guardian.
The views of these people should be given by them, in writing, or should be recorded by the social worker.
2. Process for making a Care Arrangement in a Children’s Hom
2.1 Request for a Children’s Home Care Arrangement
The Social Worker will request attendance at Resource Allocation Panel (RAP) to discuss the needs of the child and how they will be best met.
In making this request, the social worker will be asked to provide information about the child, the type of Care arrangement sought, the Care Plan, the date by which the arrangement is required, the likely length of time for which the care arrangement is required and the expected level of family time between the child and parents. The social worker should base their request on the assessed needs and vulnerabilities of the child. RAP will consider the needs and advise on the right care arrangement, making a recommendation as to whether this should be a children’s home or an alternative care provision.
The Senior Manager Children In Care will check whether an in-house place at our children’s homes that can meet the child’s needs is available.
If such an in house arrangement is available by the required date, the social worker will be advised accordingly.
If no appropriate in-house children’s home is available and the child requires a children’s home without delay, the Commissioning Officer will obtain the agreement of the Senior Manager (Children in Care) and Assistant Director to contact other providers and identify a suitable home.
2.2 Identifying a Suitable Care Arrangement
Once a resource has been identified, the social worker should contact the relevant registered manager directly to discuss the available care arrangement further.
Wherever possible, the child's social worker should visit potential homes and as required consult with other professionals, prior to a decision about the appropriateness of a children’s home being made. The provider should be able to provide evidence that supports the appropriateness and effectiveness of any therapeutic approach or model of care they intend to use.
The proposed care arrangement will then be presented to the social worker's manager for approval.
If the proposed care arrangement is with an external provider, the Senior Manager Children in Care must approve the specific terms and conditions of the arrangement, which must be included in the contract with the provider. This will then be considered by the Assistant Director and other senior managers at High Cost Monitoring Panel, along with finance officers.
Where the Children’s Home is outside the local authority area, see also Out of Area Care Arrangements Procedure.
N.B. In addition to the above approvals, in order to avoid care arrangements that disrupt a child's education, the Senior Manager Children in Care and Virtual School must approve any change of care arrangement affecting a child in Key Stage 4 except in an emergency/ where the care arrangement is terminated because of an immediate risk of serious harm to the child or to protect others from serious injury - see Supporting the Education and Promoting the Achievement of Children with a Social Worker, Children in Our Care and Care Experienced Young People Procedure.
Equally, any care arrangement made outside the local authority area should be able to meet the child's physical and mental health / emotional needs, particularly where ongoing treatment is being undertaken or is assessed as required (see also Health Care Assessments and Plans Procedure, Out of Area Care Arrangements).
Once the relevant manager/s approves the care arrangement, the planning process can start - see Section 2.3, Planning for Children’s Home Care Arrangements. An understanding of the provider's therapeutic approach should inform the child's Placement Plan.
The social worker may then arrange visits to the proposed children’s home, with the child (if old enough) and parents (if appropriate).
2.3 Planning for Children’s Home Care Arrangements
Before the child moves to their new children’s home, the child's social worker will liaise with the relevant registered manager to provide details of the child's immediate care needs and to arrange a Placement Planning Meeting - see Placement Planning for Care Arrangements and Disruption Meetings Procedure. The meeting will usually be held in the child's new home.
Participants will include:
- The parent;
- The child (if appropriate);
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The key staff from the children’s home;
- Any other relevant professionals, e.g. a representative from the child's school;
- Anyone else considered appropriate or who will have a role in the new care arrangement.
The purpose of the Placement Planning Meeting is to finalise the Placement Plan (recorded on the Placement Information Record) and the details of the child's needs in the home including the daily routine, and discuss the Care Plan. The Placement Plan provides clarity for the child and carer about: how day to day parenting tasks will be shared between the carer and the responsible authority including clarity about financial arrangements, e.g. for family time ; the circumstances leading to the child becoming looked after; what the long term plan is for the child, the timeframe and what the objectives are for the potential children’s home and how those reflect the Care Plan.
This will involve a discussion of the child's needs, including their personal history, religious persuasion, cultural and linguistic background and racial origin, their health and education needs and how these are to be met. It will also include the arrangements for registering the child with local health professionals (GP, dentist and optician). The Responsible Authority is required to draw up a Placement Plan before the child moves, or if not practicable, within 5 working days from the start of the care arrangement.For children living in a children’s homecare, the Placement Plan should cover the following issues in addition to those for all care arrangements set out in the Decision for a Child/Young Person to Become a Child in Our Care Procedure and Care Planning Procedure:
- The type of accommodation to be provided and the address;
- Where the authority has, or is notified of, Child Protection concerns relating to the child, or the child has gone missing from the Home or from any previous care arrangement, the day to day arrangements put in place by the appropriate person (the provider of the care arrangement) to keep the child safe;
- Any behaviours which have been of concern to previous carers and which may have contributed to previous breakdown of a care arrangement and how the Provider will seek to manage and respond to these;
- The child's personal history, religious persuasion, cultural and linguistic background and racial origin;
- 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;
- Delegated Authority issues including 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;
- The Local Authority's arrangements for the financial support of the child during the care arrangement;
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Information concerning the child's health and education, family time 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;
- 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;
- Arrangements for family time between children, birth parents and siblings and specified other friends and relatives.
The meeting also provides an opportunity to ensure that the registered manager has a copy of any relevant court order and that full information is shared about any behaviour management issues.
Wherever possible, the Placement Planning Meeting should be used to plan any introductions to the care arrangement, 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 staff from the children’s home 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.
If it is not possible to hold a Placement Planning Meeting before the child moves, because of the urgency of the arrangement, it must take place in order that the Placement Plan is prepared within 5 working days of the child moving in.
The child's social worker will complete and arrange for the circulation of the Care Plan and Placement Plan/Placement Information Record to the child, parents and staff from the children’s home.
At the time the child moves in, staff from the home must also be given any additional information about details of the child's day to day needs which may not be covered by the Placement Information Record but are important to ensure that the home is in the best possible position to help the child settle in their new home, for example any particular fears at night-time or other emotional needs.
The child's social worker must provide the child with written information about the Children In Care service, including information on using the authority's Complaints Procedure and information about how to access an Advocate.
The social worker should ensure that any Children's Guide and other information about the care arrangement that is available for the child is also obtained and given to them.
In all cases, the child should be accompanied to the new care arrangement by the social worker and helped to settle in. Suitable luggage should be used and a child's belongings should never be transported in inappropriate containers (see NYAS, My Things Matter Report).
Emergency Children’s Home Arrangements
Where an emergency care arrangement in a children’s home 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.
The placement plan must be agreed and signed by the social worker. Where this is a care arrangement at a distance this should be agreed by the Children's Services Director or their nominated deputy.2.4 Notification of the Children’s Home Care Arrangement
The child's social worker will update the child's electronic record with the details of the new children’s home.
Where the children’s home is with an external provider, the Commissioning Officer will notify the finance section to trigger payments as required.
Notification of the new children’s home will also be sent by the child's social worker to the Designated Nurse for LAC, the relevant person in the education service, the local Children's Services (if the care arrangement is in the area of a different local authority) and the child's GP.
The child's social worker will notify all family members consulted and involved in the decision-making process of the care arrangement.
The child's social worker must also notify the allocated Independent Reviewing Officer or, if it is the first care arrangement, the Safeguarding Children Unit. This notification will trigger the appointment of an Independent Reviewing Officer, if it is the first placement, and the setting up of arrangements for a Child in Care Review.
These notifications must be made in writing, advising of the decision and the name and address of the children's home where the child is to live.
The notifications should be before the start of the care arrangement or within 5 working days.
The child's social worker should also notify - preferably in writing but it may be verbally - all those involved in the day to day arrangements for the child, including school and any health professional or YOT worker actively involved with the child.
It will be necessary for the home or the child's social worker to ensure the child is registered with a GP, Dentist and Optician, either retaining practices known to him or her (which is preferable) or in the area where they are placed.
In relation to a first Looked After care arrangement it will also be necessary for the social worker to liaise with the Designated Nurse for LAC to arrange a Health Care Assessment - see Health Care Assessments and Plans Procedure. The social worker must arrange for the completion of a Personal Education Plan (PEP) - see Supporting the Education and Promoting the Achievement of Children with a Social Worker, Children in Our Care and Care Experienced Young People Procedure.
For any new care arrangement, every effort should be made to enable the child to remain at the same school unless there are reasons which would be detrimental to their well being. In order to avoid care arrangements that disrupt a child's education, the Nominated Officer must approve any change of care arrangement affecting a child in Key Stage 4 except in an emergency/ where the care arrangement is terminated because of an immediate risk of serious harm to the child or to protect others from serious injury.
In the case of out of area children’s homes, including Care Arrangements at a Distance, written notification must be given to the area authority of the arrangements made before the child moves or, if the child must move in an emergency, within five working days of the start of the care arrangement unless it is not reasonably practicable to do so.
The notification must include:
- Details of the assessment of the child's needs and the reasons why the home is the most suitable for responding to these; and
- A copy of the child's care plan (unless already provided in the case of a Care Arrangement at a Distance).
3. Support, Monitoring and Ending of the Children’s Home Care Arrangement
3.1 Support and Monitoring of the Children’s Home Care Arrangement
The child's social worker must visit the child’s new home within one week of the placement and then at a minimum every six weeks; see Social Worker Visits to Looked After Children Procedure.
Where there are concerns in relation to how the child has settled and their progress, consideration should be given to seeking additional resources to assist both the child and the home in creating a positive environment in which the child can thrive.
Where there are any changes to the child's care arrangement and/or legal status, the child's social worker must update the child's electronic records.
A Looked After Review should be convened where:
- The child is, or has been, persistently absent from the care arrangement;
- The children’s home, 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.
See also: Child in Care Reviews Procedure.
3.2 Ending of the Children’s Home Care Arrangement
The child's social worker must notify the Commissioning Officer when a care arrangement in a children’s home ends and arrange to inform the relevant finance officer so that any payments to the provider will cease. The social worker will also inform those notified when the care arrangement was made of its ending.
Note: Where the care arrangement is a commissioned resource from an independent or private provider, the social worker must ensure that the Commissioning and Finance Officers are informed immediately so that formal contractual notice can be given.
Where the care arrangement in a Ccildren’s home ends in an unplanned way, consideration should be given to holding a Disruption Meeting - see Placement Planning for Care Arrangements and Disruption Meetings Procedure.
Further Information
Legislation, Statutory and Government Non-Statutory, Guidance
Guidance - Placing Children: Deprivation of Liberty Orders (Ofsted) - guidance for providers, social workers and placement commissioners on placing children, subject to a deprivation of liberty order (DoL) in unregistered settings