CARE PLAN FRONT SHEET
Content guidance – delete green text if you use this as a template.
FULL NAME OF CHILD:Each child must have a separate care plan
Make sure you spell the name correctly
DATE OF BIRTH:Make sure you have the correct date of birth
CASE NO:This is the court case number given when a care application is lodged with the court
COURT:Check this with legal but from mid March 2014 this will be the Central London Family Court
DATE OF HEARING:You may not know this for the initial hearing but you should know the date for any subsequent hearing
TYPE OF HEARING:Case Management, Issues Resolution or Final Hearing
LONDON BOROUGH OF SOUTHWARK
DATE OF PLAN:xx.xx.xx
PLAN NUMBER:As appropriate
The care plan is going to describe the arrangements for the child based on the recommendations of your statement. It is designed to explain how the order proposed will be implemented in order to achieve specific outcomes for the child. It is supposed to reflect the child’s needs and how the local authority will meet them and provide services to promote and protect the child’s welfare. If this involves a change of arrangements for the child, for example moving from home in the care of their parents to foster care you will need to set out how this will happen and think through the contact plan accordingly. The care plan is NOT the place to repeat what you have said in your statement or introduce evidence you left out of your statement. It is helpful for clarity to briefly explain why you are proposing particular arrangements. This might avoid cross-examination on why the LA has made the proposals. Sections that follow in green give an example of what content/length is appropriate. If you are preparing plans for a sibling group it is worth drawing the court’s attention to any important differences between the respective plans reflecting the individual needs of the siblings by highlighting or using italics or underlining. In preparing a final care plan, be sure to have reached agreement with health and education if their services are to be provided as part of the plan, especially if the placement is out of LB Southwark.
1.SECTION 1: OVERALL AIMS
1.1Aim of the plan and summary timetable
The aim of the Local Authority’s Initial Care Plan is to set outthe arrangements for newborn baby Taria, bornin Kings College Hospital London on the xx.xx.xx, should the court agree an Interim Care Order. This supports the immediate safeguarding ofTariainto foster care as outlined in the Local Authority’s initial statement dated xx.xx.xx which recommendsan Interim Care Order, thus allowing shared parental responsibility between the authority and the mother, Ms Xyz. The details of Taria’s father are not known at this time, as Ms Xyz has not provided this information to date.
Baby Taria will remaincared for in Kings College Hospital London until she is fit for discharge and no longer receiving treatment for neo-natal abstinence syndrome at which point she would be placed with LB Southwark foster carer Mrs Abc. The Local Authority proposes that the details of the foster placement address will remain confidentialand not be disclosed toMs Xyz and her extended family in order to avoid disruption.
The Local Authority is not proposing any further assessment of Taria’s mother Ms Xyz nor of the maternal family. In essence the Local Authority maintains thatMs Xyz and her family present a significant risk of harm to baby Taria for reasons set out in the statement.
The reason for this particular plan is that Taria was made the subject of a child protection plan on the xx.xx.xx under the category of neglect. She has been a vulnerable baby before her birth due to her mother’s substance misuse during pregnancy, concerns that her mother was sex working during pregnancy, and her mother’s neglect in accessing ante natal care throughout her pregnancy. Taria remains a vulnerable newborn infant and her needs can only be met through a foster family placement.
This plan allowsfor the Local Authority to exhaust any outstanding avenues within the paternal family or connected persons regarding the prospect of permanent care for Taria, whilst pursuing a parallel plan of adoption. It is important to note that during proceedings for Ms Xyz’s first child Mikey there were no family members deemed appropriate and safe enough to meet his needs and as a result Mikey achieved permanency through the process of adoption. Assessment of any paternal family members will be dependent on Ms Xyz providing details and positive DNA matching.
As a newborn baby, Taria needs decisions about permanence made as soon as possible in order to have the best chance of forming a secure attachment and providing the strongest foundation for her optimum development.
2.SECTION 2: CHILD'S NEEDS
2.1.identified needs including needs arising from race, culture, religion or language, special education, health or disability;
Taria is a black child of mixed heritage. Her birth mother is of dual heritage with a white British mother and Black Jamaican father. The identity of Taria’s biological father is not known and therefore the exact components of her racial and cultural heritage are not known. Ms Xyzis a non-practising Christian and speaks English. Taria is too young to comprehend issues relating to her identity. However the racial and cultural heritage of the foster carer closely reflects her own and that of her maternal birth family.
Taria was exposed to illegal substances before her birth and is currently still in the Special Care Baby Unit and not ready for discharge. It is too soon to say with any certainty that she does not have special health or education needs however she is making good progress. She will need calm, consistent and attentive care on discharge from hospital.
2.2.The extent to which the wishes and views of the child have been obtained and acted upon; and
Tariais a newborn infantand it is reasonable to assume that she would wish to be cared for by her parents or family if this was safe and consistent with her welfare.
2.3.The reasons for supporting this or explanations of why wishes/views have not been given absolute precedence;
It is not safe for Taria to live with her mother and she would be at immediate risk of significant harm unless she goes into foster care. Her mother is homeless and has been unable to engage with the Local Authority or other agencies to address her substance misuse during her pregnancy. She is unable to acknowledge the past and present concerns about her parenting capacity. The wider maternal family have been assessed and the only relative who may be suitable has been approached but is unable to offer a home to Taria due to the poor health within the family.
2.4.Summary of how these needs might be met;
Taria’s primary need is to have a safe and stable family life with a consistent, responsive andemotionally attuned adult that is able to meet her physical, emotional and developmental needs. She requires warm, loving, secure and predictable parenting, which can be achieved through the proposed foster placement. She needs to build a healthy attachment to the foster carer in order to develop trust and a secure base.
2.5.Arrangements for, and purpose of, contact in meeting the child's needs (specifying contact relationship, eg: parent, step-parent, other family member, former carer, friend, siblings, including those looked after who may have a separate placement); any proposals to restrict or terminate contact.
The Local Authority does not propose further assessment of Ms Xyz and sees no prospect of rehabilitation and therefore the proposed level of supervised contact initially is for three times per week for the duration of 1 hour. This level of contact is designed to meet Taria’s need to settle into a stable routine of care without daily disruption so that she has the best opportunity to develop a secure attachment. Mrs Abc has agreed to undertake three contact journeys per week in order to provide Taria with continuity of care with the exception of the contact hour itself. This level of contact providesMs Xyz with an opportunity to demonstrate commitment to a relationship with her daughter. Ms Xyz was unable to maintain reliability in respect of her contact during proceedings with Mikey. Should Ms Xyz prove unreliable (not turning up or late) regarding contact without adequate explanation for more than 2 sessions then contact would be reduced to once per week in the first instance. Should Ms Xyz prove reliable over a two-week period (turning up on time for all 6 contacts) and the quality of contact is good, the Local Authority will increase the duration to 1.5 hours.
Ms Xyz may bring a member of her family (one at any one time) to join her contact if she discusses this with the Social Worker in advance. This islimited so that Taria is not overwhelmed by a number of unfamiliar people all at once.
In light of Ms Xyz’s extensive history of substance misuse there is concern about her attending contact with Tara whilst under the influence of illicit drugs. Should any concern arise contact would be terminated and the Local Authority would seek the courts agreement to reduce or withhold contact.
Taria has an older maternal half brother Mikey who is now aged 4 and was adopted 2 years ago. His adopters have been consulted and do not wish to put themselves forward as adopters for Taria as a parallel plan. It is not proposed to arrange contact between Taria and Mikey at this stage.
3.SECTION 3: VIEWS OF OTHERS
3.1.The extent to which the wishes and views of the child's parents and anyone else with a sufficient interest in the child (including representatives of other agencies) have been obtained and acted upon; and
Ms Xyz wants to care for Taria and is of the view that she could do this with support from family and friends. She denies that she has a problem with drugs and says she has turned her life around. She expressed these views when consulted on the day following Taria’s birth.
These wishes and views have not been acted on because the Local Authority does not believe that Ms Xyz has turned her life around. Ms Xyz has not engaged with substance misuse workers to stabilise her substance misuse during pregnancy and has minimised the impact on her baby’s health and development. She has said that she no longer takes drugs but provides conflicting information saying she needs to detox. Ms Xyz has failed numerous appointments with her substance misuse nurse at the Blackfriars settlement. Ms Xyz attended one scan during pregnancy despite being advised to have regular scans due to concerns about the growth and size of her baby before birth.Ms Xyz advised that she has attended antenatal weekly essential checks for herself and the baby prior to her birth however this is not corroborated by health professionals.
Ms Xyz has been unwilling to provide information about Taria’s paternity and therefore the details of her father are unknown to Social Services. For this reason it has not been possible to ascertain his wishes and views.
3.2.The reasons for supporting them or explanations of why wishes/views have not been given absolute precedence.
Ms XYZ’s views have not been given absolute precedence because there is no evidence that she has changed or that her lifestyle is different. The Local Authority believes that she continues to live a chaotic lifestyle involving homelessness, substance misuse, alleged/historic sex working and with a history of offending behaviour, there is a high risk of this happening again.
Ms Xyz seems to be in denial about the nature of her difficulties, certainly she does not acknowledge any problems. Ms Xyz has persistently failed to work in partnership with the Local Authority and other professionals involved in her life. Social workers, substance misuse nurses and substance misuse midwives have endeavoured to work with Ms Xyz since they became aware of her pregnancy. She has met with a social worker on one occasion for 20 minutes during her pregnancy, despite being offered many appointments.
4.SECTION 4: PLACEMENT DETAILS AND TIMETABLE
4.1.Proposed placement - type and details (or details of alternative placements);
The proposed placement is a LB Southwark registered foster carer for Taria once she is ready for discharge from hospital. The proposed foster carer Mrs Abc is an experienced foster carer and she is approved to care for babies. She has cared for babies who have been born prematurely and who have been exposed to their mother’s misuse of substances during pregnancy and who have exhibited symptoms of neonatal abstinence syndrome. ThereforeThe Local Authority believes that Mrs Abc has the experience and skills required to meet Taria’s needs.
The proposed foster carer Mrs Abc is also of dualheritage (White and Black Caribbean) and she is approved to take 2 children 0-3 years old. Mrs Abc has extensive experience and she is committed to nurturing babies back to good health and promoting their development. Mrs Abc has agreed to visit Taria in hospital until she is ready to be discharged therefore ensuring a planned transition into her care. Mrs Abc will have access to relevant health services in her local area and she is committed to attend any on going monitoring or treatment that Tara may require in relation to her health.
Whether the substance misuse during pregnancy will impact on Taria in any way is not yet known. Mrs Abc as the experience to know that she needs to observe Taria and monitor her closely during her care and she will work with health professionals to promote her physical and emotional well being.
4.2.Time that is likely to elapse before proposed placement is made;
There will be no time lapse between hospital and foster home save for a period of 7-10 days hospital admission to monitor Tara’s withdrawal due to mother’s substance misuse.
4.3.Likely duration of placement (or other placement);
The placement will last under permanency is determined and placement identified.
4.4.Arrangements for health care (including consent to examination and treatment);
Taria will be registered and engaged with relevant health services in the locality of her foster carer’s home. Her mother and/or the Local Authority will consent to any examination and necessary treatment through the sharing of parental responsibility. Any health matters in relation to day-to-day care will bemanaged through the foster parent in consultation with the Social Worker. Taria will be subject to health assessment andplanning as a looked after child which will involve a medical by a Paediatrician every six months as a child under the age of 5. Ms Xyz will be encouraged to attend the initial health assessment to meet the Paediatrician and share her medical history.
4.5.Arrangements for Education (including any pre-school day care/activity);
Taria is too young to attend day carebut she will receive stimulation with suitable toys and activities by the foster carer.
4.6.Arrangements for reunification (often known as rehabilitation);
None.
4.7.Other services to be provided to the child;
Any other services that Taria may need will be considered as part of the Looked after Child (LAC) statutory review process. A review would be scheduled within four weeks of the Interim Care Order being made. Should any other support be required these can be accessed through health services and with the support of a social worker, if necessary.
4.8.Other services to be provided to parents and other family members;
Ms Xyzis aware of local agencies helping adults with substance misuse because she has used them in the past. The Local Authority would encourage Ms Xyz to engage with substance misuse professionals in order to address her dependencies and achieve stability and eventual abstinence.
Ms Xyz will continue to have the support of a Personal Advisor from the Adolescent & Aftercare Team (Ms J Bloggs).
4.9.Details of proposed support services in placement for carers;
Mrs ABC has the support and supervision of Ms A Jones in Southwark’s fostering team. She will be visited within statutory requirements of a minimum of six weeksto provide support. In addition, all foster carers for Southwark have access to support 24 hours a day via telephone for out of hours. All foster carers for Southwark have an identified back up carer to assist with emergencies.
4.10.Specific details of the parents' role in day-to-day arrangements.