Durham Children's Services Procedures Manual

Looked After Placement Referral Process and Placement and Resource Panel Guidance

Scope of this chapter

This chapter outlines the Looked After Placement Referral Process, and provides guidance about the Placement and Resource Panel.

This chapter is currently under review.

1. Purpose

This guidance sets out the referral process for all placement requests and the appropriate method of seeking management approval and completion and submission of documentation.

The Placement and Resource Panel will also provide a robust method of management oversight and scrutiny in approving, monitoring and reviewing the majority of looked after placement arrangements for both in-house and external provision.

The 'Placement Request and Placement and Resource Panel Process' set out in Appendix 1 outlines each of the referral processes and Appendix 2: Business Functions of Placement & Resource Panel (PRP) provides details of each of the business functions of the Panel.

2. Referrals to Panel

All placement requests for any child to become looked after must be submitted to the Placement and Resource Panel, with the exception of:

Young people who are remanded into the care of the Local Authority;
Regulation 24 requests which should be submitted to the designated Strategic Manager in accordance with Placements with Connected Persons;
Where the child has already become Looked After in an emergency which includes Emergency Placements made by EDT (it is the responsibility of the case holding team to progress a placement request). All applications to the Panel are made retrospectively, even if the child has been discharged before the panel date;
Where the authority is instigating process under the Public Law Outline (PLO) and the possible outcome is that they may need to become looked after when there is a plan to place with a relative or friend;
Where the child is an unborn baby following Child and Family Assessment/pre-birth assessment or child protection conference and the plan is to remove at birth;
Where the child in care requires a placement that is longer than originally agreed and/or different in nature to their current Care Plan for example, children needing to move from mainstream Foster Care into an alternative different setting. This will also include consideration of children moving into Placement with Parents Regulations and their review.

3. Objectives

The Panel is complementary to, and not a replacement for, care planning meetings.

The Panel will provide both structure and effective guidance to social workers and other staff to ensure that the plan for the child to be looked after away from home is in the child's best interest by:

Providing a consistent response to all placement requests;
Providing appropriate challenge where necessary;
Ensuring that all appropriate options to keep the child safely have been explored prior to bringing into Children Looked After;
Collecting and collating management information which informs the fostering recruitment/placement sufficiency duty;
Ensuring placements are commissioned/reviewed within a best value framework;
Monitoring/reviewing external residential placements and ensuring progression to High Cost Placement Panel (determining split funding arrangements where appropriate);
Maintaining management oversight of budget pressures.

4. Venue / Frequency

The Panel will meet fortnightly;
Dates of all panels will be available from the Panel Administrator who will also provide weekly agendas setting out items for discussion each week/allocated times;
The panel will inform the quarterly Resource Panel Forums.

5. Membership

Chair: Strategic Manager – Looked After and Permanence

Vice Chair: Placement Efficiency Manager

Panel Members:

Team Manager/Consultant Social Worker (Fostering);
Team Manager (Residential);
Operations Manager – (Families First);
Children Looked After Nurse;
Finance Manager/Officer;
Commissioning Officer;
Panel Administrator.

Where members are absent due to annual leave, the panel administrator must be informed and they will be required to identify deputies to attend in their absence. This will ensure continuity and consistency in panel membership.

6. Principles in Decision Making

The Panel will consider information provided and the following principles and child care practice standards should underpin its decisions and outcomes:

Promotion of high standards of childcare practice;
Decisions are based on identified needs and best interests of the child;
Ensuring that the child is safe, that decisions promote and safeguard their welfare and are timely and relevant to their age and development;
Clear focus on supporting families to stay together wherever it is safe to do so;
Robust and effective decision making ensuring children have the best opportunity of experiencing permanency;
Giving due consideration to the child or young person wishes and feeling with due regard to his/her age and understanding;
Giving due consideration to the child or young person's race, religion/belief, gender, culture and linguistic backgrounds, disability and sexual orientation;
Determining whether parents/carers' wishes and feelings have been ascertained and that they are willing or actively engaged in using treatment or support resources offered to resolve identified concerns/issues;
Clarity of planning which includes specifying actions to be taken by all parties concerned to avoid the need for the child to become looked after, where safe to do so;
Effective use of all resources in the child's network, both professional and family based, for example proactive use of Family Group Conference, Community Support, One Point, Families First;
Monitoring interventions to promote early success and good outcomes for the child or young person.

7. Panel Process

Attendance

Social Workers/Team Managers WILL NOT be required to attend Panel unless it is at the request of the Panel Chair or deemed appropriate to present a case. However, in advance of Panel ALL Placement Requests using the Placement Request Form (Appendix 3: Children and Young People's Service – Entry to Care / Placement Request Form) will require:

Approval by Team Manager (signed/dated);
Screening by Operations Manager (signed/dated) – (and for planned placements to be presented to Operations Manager no later than 10am - Friday morning prior to panel). It is important that the panel functions effectively and is able to make recommendations based on the documentation provided and therefore Placement Requests/documentation will only progress to Panel following the screening and approval of the Operations Manager.

Submission of Placement Requests/Documents

Placement requests/documentation will need to be submitted to the Panel Administrator using prppanel@durham.gov.uk by 1.00 pm on the Tuesday before Panel (see Section 8, Panel Business for the documentation required).

The Agenda (setting out standard items/allocated times) and appropriate documentation will be circulated to Panel members by close of play on Tuesday.

Late papers will only be accepted for emergency placements up to close of play on Wednesday. Any emergencies on the day of panel will come to the panel on the following week to enable time to respond to issues.

8. Panel Business

The Panel will undertake a number of business functions (set out in Appendix 2: Business Functions of Placement & Resource Panel (PRP)) and there will be two stages to each weekly Panel.

The First Stage dealing primarily with both emergency and planned placement requests (not including Regulation 24 requests) and the Second Stage identifying and reviewing residential and external foster provision, placement availability and specific cohorts of children/young people.

The agenda items (allocated times to be provided) and required documentation are set out below:

8.1 First Stage

Planned/Emergency Requests

Placement Request Form (Appendix 3: Children and Young People's Service – Entry to Care / Placement Request Form);
Risk Assessment for each child (see Appendix 4a: Child's Risk Assessment/Safety Plan and Appendix 4b: Fostering Service Risk Assessment – Bedroom Sharing);
Up to date Child and Family Assessment/Parent Assessment/Pre-Birth Assessment/ Care Plan (where appropriate).

Information must clearly demonstrate:

Why accommodation is required;
Anticipated outcome of accommodation and/or provision of other services;
The wishes and feelings of the child;
Tasks required achieving the desired outcome, including estimated timescales;
Changes required to promote the child's return home;
What alternatives have been explored; including member of extended family/connected people;
Any relevant information concerning siblings or half-siblings especially where they also may be looked after;
Proposed contact arrangements.

PLO Information (following each PLO Panel)

Verbal updates will be provided from 3 x PLO Panels by the relevant Operations Manager identifying potential children entering care.

8.2 Second Stage

Funding Requests for External Placements

Independent Fostering Agency (IFA)

Only where all other in-house options have been explored and exhausted will consideration be given to seeking external provision which will be up to 28 days initially and must be approved by the Strategic Manager (Looked After and Permanence).

After the 28 days Appendix 5a: Short-Term IFAs Externally Commissioned Placements – Business Case to Placement and Resource Panel must be completed and submitted to Panel. On-going requests for funding must continue to be submitted (using Appendix 5a) to Panel.

Where a request is submitted for 'long term' funding for an IFA, a Business Case must be completed (Appendix 5b: Externally Commissioned Placements – Business Case for Long Term IFA Placement).

External Residential Placements

Only where all other in-house options and IFA provision has been explored and exhausted will consideration be given to residential provision. A detailed Business Case (Appendix 5c: Externally Commissioned Placements – Business Case for Residential Placement) must be completed and submitted to Panel to seek authorisation from the designated Strategic Manager and progressed to the Head of Children's Social Care for approval.

Where there are split funding arrangements for example education/health the Business Case must be presented to the next available High Cost Placement Panel for further authorisation.

Monitor/review all externally commissioned placements

All short term IFA placements (who do not have a plan of permanence for long term fostering) will be closely monitored, with close alignment to the placement team, to identify in-house provision, and where appropriate consideration given to future funding via a Business Case.

External residential placements will be closely monitored/reviewed to identify in-house provision and the quality of external provision.

Monitor progress of plans for all children placed at home on a Care Order

Monitor progress of plans for all children placed at home on a Care Order (on the basis that at 6/12 months post placement with parents plans should be progressed to discharge the Order).

Monitor children with a Plan of Permanence via Long Term Fostering

Provide management oversight and monitoring of children who have a plan for permanency via long term fostering to determine progress in sourcing a match.

Review specific cohorts of children/young people

To identify specific cohorts of children/young people to be reviewed each month at the Panel for example external residential, Family and Friends, Temporary Approvals.

Placement Availability

Placement Manager to provide an update of placement availability, residential capacity, duty issues/concerns, etc. To provide a robust method of action planning.

9. Panel Actions

The panel will:

Agree or decline a placement/funding request and provide written reasons (recording of the decision-making will be undertaken by the Panel Administrator);
Recommend placement/resources;
Where appropriate recommend the use of alternative resources, to maintain child's current situation. External residential placements must be authorised by Head of Children's Social Care following the recommendation of the Panel on the advice of the Strategic Manager when all other in-house options have been explored and exhausted;
Request further information/submission back to Panel;
Review/monitor external provision;
Identify appropriate actions to be undertaken and timescales (where appropriate);
Request additional information/clarity or request attendance of Social Workers/Team Managers at future Panels.

10. Actions Following Panel

Following the Panel the Panel Administrator should:

Record panel decisions will be recorded on Panel minutes;
Record panel decisions on individual Placement Request Forms;
Record panel decisions directly on to the child's LiquidLogic record;
Circulate Panel Minutes and completed Placement Request Forms to the relevant Social Workers/Team Managers no later than noon on Friday after Panel.

Actions must be progressed by the Social Worker and Fostering Team, following the relevant Procedures.

11. Role of the Panel Administrator

The role of the Panel Administrator is to:

To ensure effective running of the Panel;
To collate requests and documentation and ensure timely and correct receipt of all paperwork submitted;
To book all requests on to Panel and provide appropriate prompts for information to be returned to panel
To compile agenda/times and circulate documentation within the required timescales to panel members;
To provide robust method of tracking the monitoring/review of external provision and any other requests for information;
To record all panel decision-making on Panel minutes, individual Placement Request Forms and directly onto the child's LiquidLogic record;
To circulate Panel Minutes and completed Placement Request Forms to Social Workers/Team Managers by no later than noon on Friday following Panel.