Understanding Placement Plans and Looked After Reviews

You will need as much information as possible about a child/young person before they come into their home. Wherever possible planning meetings and documents are held and provided prior to a child’s time with you starting. There also should be an opportunity for the foster child to have introductory visits prior to coming to live with you. However, this is often not possible, and there should be a planning meeting to develop the Placement Plan within 5 days of the child arriving and Care Plan provided to you within 10 days of the child coming into your care.

As a foster carer you will work effectively together with the Child’s Social Worker so that the placement is appropriate, planned and meet the needs of the child in your care. You are part of the team around the child, who will also be there to support you. You should be actively involved in planning for the child. Your views are valued by your fostering service provider and other professionals working with the child and will positively influence the child’s progress.

A Care Plan must be completed before the child’s first placement or within 10 working days of them coming into care. Highly effective planning manages and minimises risks to children and so it is very important that the care plan is robust and child centred.

The care plan is a document that must be drawn up where a child/family is receiving a service from a local authority. It should provide information relating to the child and their family, and what work must be done to meet the needs of the child or young person in relation to future plans for them.

Each child should have a Permanence Plan by the time of their second Looked After Review. The permanence plan does not mean they will remain looked after; permanence options include a return to parents, a move to family members, as well as a consideration of what a contingency plan may be if the primary plan does not happen.

The child’s overarching Care Plan should include:

• The type of care and home needed for the child (e.g. foster care);
• Overall goals of the Placement Plan (setting out why the type of care was chosen and how the child’s placement will contribute to meeting their needs); 
• Permanence Plan (long-term plans for the child’s upbringing including timescales).

The Care Plan should link to and include key actions from:

• Health Plan;
• Personal Education Plan;
• Education, Health and Care Plan;
• When children become 16, their Care Plan will become a Pathway Plan, setting out more detail of their journey to adulthood and independence.

This is a document that must be completed either on the day or within 5 days of a child coming to live with you. This plan is drawn up by the child/young person’s social worker, with you and your Supervising Social Worker and family members.

This plan details the expectations and routines of the child, as well as how it is proposed that their needs will be met in the foster home. The Placement Plan should contain the Risk Assessment identifying any risks and suggested strategies for managing these.

The Placement Plan covers the following areas:

• Objectives and purpose of the child’s placement;
• Arrangements for the child’s education and training, including the name and address of the child’s school/other educational setting/provider and designated teacher; the Local Authority maintaining any Education, Health, and Care Plan;
• The child’s personal/cultural history;
• The child’s likes/dislikes;
• Arrangements for the child’s health (physical, emotional, and mental) and dental care, including the name and address of registered medical and dental practitioners; arrangements for giving/withholding consent to medical/dental examination/treatment;
• The rules of the foster home, including how the child should be supported;
• Agreements for family time/contact between the child, their family, and others;
• Frequency of social work visits to the child and yourself, and any review meetings;
• If an Independent Visitor is appointed, the arrangements for them to visit the child and their contact details;
• Delegated Authority for decision-making where appropriate;
• The Placement Plan must show who can make decisions about situations such as:
  • Medical and dental treatment;
  • Education and school trips;
  • Overnight stays;
  • Leisure and home life;
  • Faith and religious observance;
  • Use of social media;
  • Any other matters which the local authority/person with Parental Responsibility consider appropriate.

The Placement Plan must also identify any matters about which the Local Authority/person with Parental Responsibility considers that the child may make a decision about. For example, it may be agreed that the child can take responsibility for managing their own medication.

It is the responsibility of the Fostering Service to ensure that if a child is not settling into foster care that they take steps to ensure that the plan is reviewed with the Child’s Social Worker, their parents and you as their carer. Therefore it is important that you report any worries or concerns early on to your Supervising Social Worker.

See also: Surrey Children's Services Procedures, Looked After Reviews Procedure

A Looked After Review (or Statutory Review as it is sometimes known) is a meeting that covers the arrangements for making sure the plans put in place for a child in care happen.

Looked After Reviews are held at specific intervals. They are chaired by an Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO). They will discuss with all those involved with the child’s life including the child/young person (in a way that is if age/ need appropriate) how they are progressing and how their needs will continue to be met. The Independent Reviewing Officer has a monitoring role for the child overall so is a good source of support if needed.

Looked After Reviews happen at the following intervals:

• Within 20 working days of the child becoming Looked After;
• Then within 3 months (91 days) of the first Looked After Review;
• Then subsequent looked after reviews should be conducted not more than 6 months (183 days) after any previous review.

Looked After Reviews should be brought forward by the Independent Reviewing Officer where the circumstances of an event has a significant impact upon the child’s Care Plan, as suggested in the following sorts of circumstances:

• A proposed change of Care Plan for example arising at short notice in the course of proceedings following directions from the court, for example, reunification with parents where this has not been the plan of the local authority;
• Where agreed decisions from the review are not carried out within the specified timescale;
• Major change to the family time  arrangements;
• Changes of allocated social worker;
• Any safeguarding concerns involving the child, which may lead to enquiries being made under Section 47 of the 1989 Act (‘Child Protection Enquiries’) and outcomes of Child Protection Conferences, or other meetings that are not attended by the IRO;
• Complaints from or on behalf of the child, parent or carer;
• Unexpected changes in the child’s foster care which may significantly impact on placement stability or safeguarding arrangements; for example, if foster carers decide to move away from the area and/or ask for the child to move from their care;
• Significant changes in birth family circumstances for example births, marriages or deaths which may have a particular impact on the child;
• If the child is charged with any offence leading to referral to Youth Offending Services, pending criminal proceedings and any convictions or sentences as a result of such proceedings;
• If the child is excluded from school;
• If the child has run away or is missing from an approved placement;
• Significant health, medical events, diagnoses, illnesses, hospitalisations, or serious accidents; and panel decisions in relation to permanency.

DfE Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations - Volume 2: Care Planning, Placement and Case Review.

This is not an exhaustive list and other events considered to be significant may prompt an earlier review. The decision whether to have an early review is the IRO’s.

The parents and child should also be consulted about the need for an additional review.

You should therefore:

• Discuss with your social worker any changes that occur for yourself or for your family;
• Ensure the social worker for the child is fully informed and aware of any of the issues that have been highlighted;
• Discuss with your social worker any other matter that you feel could reflect significantly or impact upon the child or their Care Plan.

The IRO can then review and consider whether an earlier review should be convened.

The first Looked After Review following a young person’s 16th birthday should formally consider whether a Staying Put arrangement (whereby the young person remains in the foster home after the age of 18) could be an option. It is recommended that informal consideration of this option is started earlier than this. Discussion about staying put arrangements should take the opportunity to investigate the impact on individual household financial and personal circumstances. For example, some young people will not qualify for adult social care at the age of 18 but may require more support and scaffolding than others. Financial packages can be discussed from this point. Please see the Surrey Staying Put Policy.

You should attend the reviews of the child/young person you are caring for.

The invitation list and location for a Looked after review meeting is at the discretion of the child, this could include birth parents, teachers, any professional working with the child and independent visitors etc.

If you are worried about these meetings discuss it with your Supervising Social Worker.

See: Surrey Children’s Services Placements in Foster Care Procedure.