Social Worker Guide: What to do when a child becomes looked after (July 2012)

Childrenlooked after are children placed by voluntary agreement with parent(s) in foster/residential/kinship placements(s.20 1989 CA), unaccompanied minors (s.20 1989 CA),all children on EPOs and ICOs/COs (s.31 1989 CA) regardless of where they are living, children in adoptive placements, some children receiving planned short break care in foster/residential placements, young people remanded to the care of the local authority regardless of where they are living, young people remanded to the care of the local authority with a secure attachment, young people subject to a Youth Rehabilitation Order with a residence requirement, NB Not all these procedures relate to children having short breaks or remanded by the court in criminal proceedings.

Placement Information Record (PIR) / On day of placing child or before if placement is planned, complete PIR in Placement, Assessment, Review section on Paris and give copy to foster/residential carer.
Parents need to sign this form to agree a section 20
placement.
Legal status and CLA placement / On day of placing child, details of legal status and placement need to be recorded on PARIS.
If the carers (e.g. family members, independent foster carers or residential providers) are not already on PARIS as care providers, email HSC Systems Support with the details and request that these are added to PARIS.
The ethnicity of unaccompanied minors must be recorded before entering placement details.
Health: Medical card & BAAF consent / On day of placing child or before if placement is planned, the medical card & BAAF consent form should be signed by a parentfor all children looked after regardless of legal status. A health assessment will not be done without signed parental consent.
The medical card should be given to foster/residential carer at time of placing child and parent held Child Health Record.
For unaccompanied minors, the medical card should be signed by Service Manager.
Unaccompanied minors or other children who have recently arrived in the UK should be referred to the Safeguarding Children (Health) Team on the day they become looked after for health screening.
Notify Independent Reviewing Officers Team (IROs) / Email or phone x3994.
Notify Education / For children who are under 5 and not in school Year R notifySENCOs Rachel Booth and Liz Smith (Startpoint):

including details of early year’s provider if known.
Notify nursery/child care provider if applicable.
For children who are over 4 and already in school or should be, please notify Jane Smith but using both email addresses as follows:
and .
Notify headteacher/designated CLA teacher of current school.
Notify Health / Notify involved health professionals e.g. health visitor, school nurse, GP, CAMHs, hospital consultant
Notify other involved professionals / Notify other involved professionals’ e.g. Child Protection Advisor if child is the subject of a Child Protection Plan
Notify other local authorities / When a child’s placement is located outside of Southampton, whether or not they are with Southampton carers, the relevant local authority needs to be informed in writing. There is a letter template for this.
CLA Health Assessment (HA) / Contact Safeguarding Children (Health) Team by phone (80716630 or 80716628) or email Kim Bartlett and Laura Ravenscroft to arrange HA that needs to take place within 28 days.
Advise if interpreter is needed as they will book.
HAs are 6 monthly for 0-4yr olds and annually for 5+ yrs old. BAAF consent form should already have been signed by parents and faxed before the HA – Fax 023 8063 8139.
A social worker must attend the child’s first HA with carer, and parent if appropriate.
BAAF PH parental health form - complete with both birth parents if possible including name and address of their GP
Form M/B – send to the child’s hospital of birth for completion
Carer’s Report Form CR-C (child age 0-10) or CR-YP (child age 11+) to be completed by child’s carer.
BAAF Form IHA C (child age 0-10) or IHA YP (child age 11+) – Section A of this form should be completed by SW prior to HA.
Placement Agreement/Plan Meeting (PAM) / PAM should be held by the social worker with carer, SSW (if child in foster care or family & friends/kinship foster placement) child and parents if appropriate, before placement or in an emergency within 72 hours of placing child to agree placement plan.
Use Word template for planning meeting.
The minutes of the meeting should be recorded as PARIScase note (Type: Meeting, Reason: Placement Agreement Meeting)
Care Planning Meeting / A care planning meeting needs to take place before the placement or within 10 working days of placing child chaired by a senior practitioner/team manager, and before initial CLA review, involving parents (their legal reps) and the professional network.
This should be recorded as a PARIScase note (Type: Meeting, Reason: Care Planning Meeting).
If the child’s care plan has not been considered by Care Planning Panel before becoming looked after, book a slot by email -
Care Plan / A Care Plan needs to be completed on PARIS in Assessment, Plan, Review section following the care planning meeting and prior to initial CLA review.
Decisions/actions agreed at the initial CLA review should be added to the Care Plan and authorised by a senior practitioner/manager.
Prior to each CLA review or if there is a significant change to the overall care plan, the PARIS Care Plan should be updated by copying and refreshing previous PARIS Care Plan. Any actions completed or no longer relevant should be ended e.g. if outcomes have been achieved. New actions/decisions from the CLA review should be added to the Care Plan and authorised in the usual way.
A copy of the Care Plan should be given to parents, carers and child dependent on their level of understanding.
Personal Education Plan (PEP) / A PEP meeting should be initiated within 10 working days and held within 20 working days of placing child and before initial CLA review, then every 6 months for all children from 2 ¾ in early years’ education and school.
The social worker needs to complete their part of the form before attending PEP meeting. Some schools will ask you to email them a form in advance to complete their section before the meeting.
Following the meeting, photocopy completed form and send out to all who attended, including parent & child if appropriate. Put the PEP report on PARIS for authorisation by senior practitioner/team manager. PEPs are being audited monthly. (See guide to completing PEPs)
Statutory Visits – Recording / Complete specific PARIScase note for comment and authorisation by senior practitioner/team manager.
Statutory visits: CLA in new regulated foster or residential placement: / 1st visit within 1 week of placing child and minimum of 6 weekly visits thereafter in the first year of any placement and recorded on PARIS, authorised by senior practitioner.
Visits after the first year must also take place at intervals of not more than 6 weeks unless the placement has been formally agreed as a permanent placement intended to last until the child is 18.
Sleeping arrangements should be seen and the child seen alone unless there are reasons why this would not be appropriate, to gain their views/feelings and assess their well being. These are minimum requirements.
The actual frequency of visits should be determined by the circumstances of the case, the needs of the child and reasonable requests from the child or carer.
Statutory visits:
CLA placed with a temporarily approved carer e.g. kinship carer or a child living with parents under an ICO: / The visiting requirement is weekly until the time of the first review and then 4 weekly until the carer has been approved or the final hearing has been completed in care proceedings.
Statutory visits:
CLA placed back with parents under a CO / 1st visit within one week of the making of the CO and then at 6 weekly intervals.
If the placement assessment has not been completed the visits must be weekly until first review and then 6 weekly or until completion of assessment.
Statutory visits:
CLA on a CO, sentenced and in secure accommodation or YOI / 1st visit within 1 week, and then 6 weekly for the 1st year, 3 monthly in any subsequent year.
Initial CLA Review / Val Anderson, BSO in the IRO Team organises Initial CLA reviews by sending invitations and consultation papers to parents/carers/child and booking the venue. The social worker should advise Val of convenient dates and times, who to invite, contact details and any risk factors within 5 working days of the child becoming been looked after.
The social worker needs to book an interpreter if required.
The social worker should continue to liaise with Val and allocated IRO as needed. A discussion between the SW and the IRO before a review is good practice.
Depending on the age and understanding of the child, the social worker should meet with them to gain their views e.g. help them to complete consultation paper and prepare, if they are attending a meeting.
Part 1 review in Assessment/Plan/Review on PARIS needs to be completed in good time and at the latest, 24 hours before a review meeting.
The senior practitioner/team manager should authorise Part 1 only.
The IRO completes and authorises Part 2 when the reviewing process has been completed and the review report has been put on PARIS.
The social worker should bring copies of Part 1 and the unauthorised Care Plan to the review meeting.
4 Month CLA Review / A 4 month CLA review needs to take place within 3 months of the initial CLA review.
At least 3 weeks before the review is due, the social worker should liaise with Val Anderson, BSO in the IRO Team and if need be the allocated IRO to confirm arrangements, who to invite and the venue. Val will organise as for initial reviews.
6 month CLA Reviews / Social workers are responsible for the organisation of 6 month reviews i.e. sending out invitations, consultation papers and booking the venue, 3 weeks before the review meeting.
A 6 month CLA review needs to take place within 6 months of the previous review.

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