4.1.1 Route Map for Looked After Children

This Chapter is a Route map for Looked After Children - a summary of the key stages and decisions that may be taken from the point of referral to the child leaving care. Where detailed procedures are required, links are provided to the relevant chapters.

AMENDMENT

This chapter was updated in June 2011 to take account of the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010, which became effective on 1 April 2011.

Referral Within 1 working day	Information received that child may be a Child in Need of services.

Initial Assessment Within 10 working days	Child seen by social worker. Assessment identifies one of following: Child in Need requiring Core Assessment. Possible Significant Harm; leading to Strategy Discussion/Meeting and possible Core Assessment with Child Protection Enquiry. Child in Need with service provided and no. Child not in need, sign post to other agencies and/or NFA. If the child is at risk of Significant Harm, there may be a need to take steps to protect the child, including obtaining an Emergency Protection Order.

Core Assessment Within 35 working days	Core Assessment identifies child’s needs and services required. Possible Initial Child Protection Conference - may lead to child being made the subject of a Child Protection Plan.

Conclusion reached that parent(s) are not meeting child’s needs.

Consider additional support to maintain placement at home.	Referral for services to maintain child within the home

Consider other Family Options	Consider supporting arrangements for child to live with other family members, with support if necessary which would avoid need for child to become Looked After. A Family Group Conference should be arranged as soon as possible.

Conclusion reached that child should be Looked After.

Seek legal advice	Arrange Legal Planning Meeting to decide whether Threshold Criteria are met and legal intervention required. Consider requirements of Public Law Outline.

Decide to Look After Child and Seek parents’ agreement	Decision to look after child approved by Placement Panel or Designated Manager (Decision to Look After) Where possible, parents' agreement sought for child's admission to Looked After Service.

Consider Looked After Placement Options	Consider Looked After placement with Connected Person, with support if necessary. (See Friends and Family Care Policy and Placement of Looked After Children with Connected Persons Procedure). If suitable relative/friend available and placement likely to last for more than 16 (sixteen) weeks, viability assessment as Foster Carer required. If no family member available or suitable to care for child, consider other placement options.

Draft Care Plan	Care Plan drafted in outline, identifying purpose of admission to Looked After Service, how the local authority will exercise its responsibilities for the child including type of placement and contact with parents. See Care Plans Guidance

Seek Manager’s approval for Care Plan	Designated Manager (Decision to Look After) approves outline Care Plan. If Care Plan not completed at this stage, the manager may authorise that it is completed within 10 working of days of the child’s placement. All parties should be invited to sign the Care Plan. See Care Plans Guidance

Initiate Court action	Where Court action considered necessary, Care Proceedings or other appropriate Court application initiated, evidence prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Public Law Outline and hearing date arranged. See Care Proceedings Procedure

Placements in Secure Accommodation	For secure placements, an 'At Risk of Secure Accommodation Meeting' must be held, chaired by a senior manager, and make a recommendation to the Designated Manager (Placements - Secure Accommodation) - see Placement in Secure Accommodation Procedure.

Place child and complete Placement Information Record before or on day of child's placement	Placement Information Record completed before or on the day of placement - as far as it can be - and all available information shared with carer.

Placement Planning Meeting within 72 hours of placement	If child placed in an emergency, Placement Planning Meeting held within 72 hours of placement to ensure placement is suitable to continue, and complete/update Placement Information Record as necessary so that it is completed within 5 working days of the placement.

Arrange first Looked After Review Arrange first Looked After Review within 28 days of placement and make necessary NOTIFICATIONS	Safeguarding and Quality Assurance Unit notified within one working day of child's admission to Looked After service. Independent Reviewing Officer designated and date for first Looked After Review arranged. Health and Education notified that the placement has taken place.

Social worker visits.The first should occur within 1 week of the child's placement.	Social worker visits to child made within one week of placement - and then weekly for first 4 weeks and four weekly during temporary approval if child placed with Connected Person, - or otherwise at minimum of six weekly intervals in first year for the purposes of monitoring and supporting the placement. See Social Work Visits Procedure.

Arrange Health Care Assessment Draft Health Care Plan	Social Worker makes arrangement for the child to undertake a Health Care Assessment. The Health Care Assessment should contribute to the child’s Health Care Plan, which forms part of the child's Care Plan with detail in the Placement Information Record and should be completed in time for the first Looked After Review. See Joint Protocol for the Health of Looked After Children and Young People.

Complete Personal Education Plan (PEP) Within 20 days and in time for first Looked After Review	Social Worker to liaise with child's school and/ or the HEART Team to formulate Personal Education Plan (PEP). Education of Looked After Children Procedure Looked After Reviews Procedure

Promote Family Contact	Detailed contact arrangements made and included within the Placement Information Record in the context of the overall Care Plan. See Contact with Parents and Siblings Procedure. See also Contact with Relatives and Friends Procedure.

Implement Care Plan	Strategies to be implemented as required by Care Plan and/or Placement Information Record, further assessments to be organised (with Court’s permission if within Care Proceedings) and time-scales set to explore possibility of rehabilitation and/or other options for the child's Permanence Plan. The need for a Parallel Plan to be considered at the earliest opportunity, i.e. at first Looked After Review and it may be necessary to hold a Care Planning Meeting after first Looked After Review if no plans for rehabilitation.

Within 20 working days of the Placement Convene first Looked After Review.	See Looked After Reviews Procedure. Progress in implementing aims of Care Plan considered at first Looked After Review; agenda to include setting time-scales for achieving Permanence Plan for child. Consideration of Parallel Plan. It may be necessary to hold a Permanency Planning Meeting after first Looked After Review if no plans for rehabilitation.

Assess carers, where placement is with relative or friend. Within 16 weeks of placement starting.	See Friends and Family Care Policy and Placement of Looked After Children with Connected Persons Procedure.. Assessment of relative/friend as foster carer initiated and presented to Fostering Panel within 16 weeks.

Where plan is for Adoption, Pan London Adoption Procedures to be followed.

Where plan is for placement within extended family, either as preferred plan or Parallel Plan, possible placements with family to be explored and assessed as appropriate, based on the outcome of the Family Group Conference.

Depending on the age of the child, further Health Care Assessments must be conducted at between 6 and 12 month intervals. Joint Protocol for the Health of Looked After Children and Young People

Interim/final Court hearings	Detailed Care Plan with recommendations for Court Order approved by Designated Manager (Care Proceedings) and presented to Court

Rehabilitation plan implemented, if appropriate	Where Interim Care Order or Care Order in force, Placement with Parents Procedure followed. Subsequent Looked After Reviews consider need for Care Order to continue. Where no Care Order, child discharged from Looked After Service with Children's Plan of support and monitoring.

Permanence Plan	Where a decision has been made about permanence planning, following the first Looked After Review, a Care Planning Meeting must be organised as soon as possible to agree how the plan, which may still include a Parallel Plan at this stage, will be implemented. Permanency Planning for Looked After Children Procedure

Where plan is for Adoption, Pan London Adoption Procedures to be followed.

Where plan is for long-term placement within extended family, either as preferred plan or Parallel Plan, possible placements with family to be assessed as quickly as possible and presented to Fostering Panel for approval.

Where plan is for long-term foster placement, either as preferred plan or Parallel Plan, plan to be agreed by the Fostering Panel, referral to be made to Fostering Service for family finding to commence, placement to be identified and matching to be approved as appropriate. See Placements in Foster Care Procedure

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