Moving to Another Placement

Children must remain in the home unless it no longer meets their assessed needs as set out in the Care Plan, or the home has been unable to deliver the services required to meet the 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 only take place following a Looked After Review chaired by the child’s Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO).

Where it appears that a child or young person would benefit from a transfer to another home / placement, the home’s manager should discuss this with the child’s social worker who will in turn raise it with the Independent Reviewing Officer. A planned placement move can only take place once approval from the placing authority has been received in writing.

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

• The child;
• The child’s social worker;
• The Independent Reviewing Officer.

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

(NOTE: If, in an emergency situation, the registered person has to move a child out of the home to other accommodation, the accommodation must be suitable and meet the child’s needs. The child’s social worker or line manager should be informed and, where the child is accommodated under S.20 (Children Act 1989), the parent must also be informed immediately by them. A Looked After Review should be convened as soon as possible after the emergency move has taken place).

For more information on the procedure to be following when a child is moved in an emergency please see Emergency Placement and Emergency Reviews Procedure.

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 Independent Reviewing Officer 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.

For a temporary move out of the home, it must be remembered that the child will remain under their current Care Plan and staff should make sure the child understands that expectations in relation to house rules, education etc. still apply.

Any decision to terminate a young person's placement and request that they are 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. During this period staff must help the child to prepare for the move. In cases where children are returning home or moving to independent living this includes supporting the child / young person to develop emotional and mental resilience to cope without the home’s support.

Assuming the decision to move the child has been approved at the Looked After Review, the Registered Children’s Homes Manager should liaise with the manager in the new home and take all reasonable steps to ensure the young person's transfer 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 the transfer. 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 Key Residential Practitioner;
• Parents or those with Parental Responsibility;
• The young person;
• The manager of the new home;
• 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:

• The young person's Care Plan - the social worker is responsible for this record;
• Where appropriate, the young person's Pathway Plan - the social worker or Personal Adviser is responsible for this plan;
• The young person's Personal Education Plan (PEP), any recent SEN Support Plans or, where appropriate, the young person's Education, Health and Care Plan - the social worker should obtain these plans/reports;
• Details, plans or arrangements relating to the young person's Health Needs Assessment.

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

1. The young person's Placement Plan - the manager of the new home/carer is responsible for this but the existing home manager should contribute/offer advice on any 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 leaving the home;
2. The existing home manager/Residential Practitioner should ensure that the young person's file is brought up to date. collated, tidied then 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, the new home manager should arrange for a Risk Assessment to be completed;
5. The new manager /carer should liaise with the child’s 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 Needs Assessment in line with set out in Health Needs Assessments and Individual Heath Care 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;
   • Details of how to access an independent advocacy service;
   • All personal items and belongings (excluding withheld items).

For all transfers to another home or other placement, 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 in our care for an extended period, memento albums and photographs from home should be prepared for them so they have a record of their period of life at the home.

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.

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.