Looked After Reviews and Disruption Meetings

A Looked After Review must take place before any significant change is made to the child's Care Plan, unless that is not reasonably practicable, including a decision to cease looking after a child.

The purpose of the Looked After Review is to:

• Ensure that appropriate plans are in place to safeguard and promote the overall welfare of the Looked After child in the most effective way and to achieve permanence within a timescale that meets their needs;
• To monitor the progress of these plans and ensure they are being progressed effectively;
• To make decisions, as necessary, for amendments to these plans to reflect any change in knowledge and/or circumstances;
• To ensure the needs of children looked after as a result of a secure remand are met;
• To ensure that an Eligible Young Person moving into semi-independent accommodation is ready and prepared to move.

Looked After Reviews will be chaired by an Independent Reviewing Officer.

It is important that decisions taken at Looked After Reviews are implemented, to ensure this responsibility for actions following the review should be clearly defined.

The key plans that should be considered at a Looked After Review are:

• Care Plan or Pathway Plan (where appropriate);
• Permanence Plan;
• Health Care Plan;
• Personal Education Plan (PEP).

The review should also take account of the child's Placement Plan and any other plans or strategies (e.g. behaviour management strategy), ensuring that they are up to date, or that arrangements are in place to update them.

If children are not settling into the Home, leaders and managers should ensure that children’s plans are reviewed promptly with the placing authority and the family (where this is appropriate). They should consider the best steps to take next, including, for example, whether any additional support might be necessary to keep children safe. Leaders and managers must challenge effectively and take action when they are concerned that placing authorities are making decisions that are not in children’s best interests or when the statutory requirements for looked-after children are not met.

See also: Care and Placement Planning.

Usually, Looked After Reviews should be convened at the following intervals

• An initial Looked After Review should be conducted within 20 working days of the child becoming Looked After;
• The second Looked After Review should be conducted within 3 months of an Initial Looked After Review.

Subsequent Looked After Reviews should be conducted not more than 6 months after any previous Review.

These are maximum timescales, Looked After Reviews can be convened sooner if consideration is being given to ending or changing the child's placement, or the urgency of the case determines a Review is needed e.g. the child's social worker assesses that the child's welfare is not being adequately safeguarded and promoted.

Looked After Reviews should be brought forward by the Independent Reviewing Officer if they are notified by the child's social worker or residential worker of any significant change or event in the child's life. This could include:

• A proposed change of Care Plan for example arising at short notice in the course of proceedings following directions from the court;
• Where agreed decisions from the review are not carried out within the specified timescale;
• Major change to the contact 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 placement provision which may significantly impact on placement stability or safeguarding arrangements;
• 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.

Except in urgent circumstances, any change of placement, should only take place following a statutory review of their Care Plan chaired by their Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO).

This is not an exhaustive list and the IRO may judge that other events are significant and require an earlier review. The parents and child should also be consulted about the need for an additional review.

Residential staff should ensure the social worker for the child is fully informed and aware of any of the above issues, or any other matter that reflects a significant change or impact upon the child, so that the IRO can review and consider whether an earlier review should be convened.

Staff should make available in the Home, information in an appropriate form which enables children to contact their placing authority to call for a review of their Care Plan if they have concerns about their safety or welfare.

The Review will consider the extent to which the aims and objectives of the Care Plan and associated Personal Education Plan (PEP) and, if relevant, Pathway Plan have been achieved. At the second and subsequent Reviews, the review must consider whether there is a suitable Permanence Plan in place. The child's Placement Plan to be reviewed to ensure it continues to meet the needs of the Care and associated plans.

In time for the review, or beforehand if required, the Home should arrange for an up to date Placement Plan to be available demonstrating what arrangements exist to meet the child's needs. The Home should also produce a report of the work undertaken since the child's placement or the last Looked After Review, and evidence what has been done to achieve engagement, including any actions to taken to escalate concerns.

The agenda will be agreed at the beginning of the meeting, and each participant will be invited to contribute their own items to the agenda and have the opportunity to contribute to the discussion.

The IRO will decide on what actions in principle are necessary to meet the child's needs and make recommendations as to how these should be achieved.

The IRO will ensure that decisions are clear, and establish who is responsible for action and the timescales agreed for completion.

The representative of the Home who attends the review should take notes of the meeting and ensure the action points are recorded to prevent delay in supporting the child/young person.

The management of the home as well as the staff will have sound knowledge of the care planning process for looked after children in order to be able to advocate for them and ensure they receive support appropriate to their age and understanding. Managers must understand the plans for the children and actively drive the achievement of important milestones, goals and permanence for their futures.

• Managers will monitor the progress that individual children make and be able to demonstrate the positive impact that living at the home has had on individual children’s progress and life chances;
• Staff will help children to prepare for meetings in relation their care planning and play a vital role within this, endeavouring to establish clear communication so their feelings are communicated clearly.

Relevant plans are defined in the interpretation section of the Regulations (Regulation 2) as: any placement plan; any care plan; any statement of educational needs; any education, health and care plan, and where a child is a youth justice child, any detention placement plan, or any other plan prepared by that child’s placing authority in relation to the remand and sentencing of that child. In terms of our policy we also include the child’s annual ‘Looked after Child’ Medical as a relevant plan.

Placement Plans are created by the local authority. The Care Planning, Placement and Case Review Regulations 2010 state -

Placement Plan

1. Subject to paragraphs (2) and (4), before making arrangements in accordance with section 22C for C’s placement, the responsible authority must—
   1. Prepare a plan for the placement (“the placement plan”) which—
      1. Sets out how the placement will contribute to meeting C’s needs; and
      2. Includes all the matters specified in Schedule 2 as are applicable, having regard to the type of the placement; and
   2. Ensure that—
      1. C’s wishes and feelings have been ascertained and given due consideration; and
      2. The IRO has been informed.
2. If it is not reasonably practicable to prepare the placement plan before making the placement, the placement plan must be prepared within five working days of the start of the placement;
3. The placement plan must be agreed with, and signed by, the appropriate person;
4. Where the arrangements for C’s placement were made before 1st April 2011, the responsible authority must prepare the placement plan as soon as reasonably practicable.

Care Plans are created by the Local Authority and developed by the child’s Social Worker in consultation with other key people. This should be prepared prior to the placement of the child; or at least within 10 working days of their arrival. The Care Planning, Placement and Case Review Regulations 2010 state –

Preparation and content of the care plan

The care plan must include a record of the following information—

1. The long term plan for C’s upbringing (“the plan for permanence”);
2. The arrangements made by the responsible authority to meet C’s needs in relation to—
   1. Health, including the information set out in paragraph 1 of Schedule 1 (“the health plan”);
   2. Education and training, including, so far as reasonably practicable, the information set out in paragraph 2 of Schedule 1 (“the personal education plan”);
   3. Emotional and behavioural development;
   4. Identity, with particular regard to C’s religious persuasion, racial origin and cultural and linguistic background;
   5. Family and social relationships and in particular the information set out in paragraph 3 of Schedule 1;
   6. Social presentation; and
   7. Self-care skills.
3. Except in a case where C is in the care of the responsible authority but is not provided with accommodation by them by any of the means specified in section 22C, the placement plan;
4. The name of the IRO; and
5. Details of the wishes and feelings of the persons listed in section 22(4)(1) about the arrangements referred to in sub-paragraph (b) and the placement plan that have been ascertained and considered in accordance with section 22(4) and (5) and the wishes and feelings of those persons in relation to any change, or proposed change, to the care plan.

Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plans were introduced in 2014, looking at all the needs of a young person and consider how specific outcomes can be achieved. Where a young person’s special educational needs (SEN) cannot be met within a standard mainstream setting an EHC plan will be issued to summarise the additional educational support required. The Home will request information about EHC Plans on admission and will take full account of the details specified in the plan, working with relevant professionals to ensure that the young person is able to access all the support to which they are entitled, and making sure that all staff within the Home are fully aware of the specific needs of that young person. It is the responsibility of the placing Local Authority to establish and maintain the EHC Plan.

Personal Education Plan: All looked-after children must have a care plan, of which the PEP is an integral part. The PEP (pre-school to age 18) should be initiated as part of the care plan. It is an evolving record of what needs to happen for looked-after children to enable them to make at least expected progress and fulfil their potential. The quality of the PEP is the joint responsibility of the local authority that looks after the child and the school. Social workers, carers, VSHs, designated teachers and, as appropriate, other relevant professionals will need to work closely together. The PEP should be reviewed each term.

Pathway Plan: This plan should consider the child's need for support and assistance (which have already been identified in the previous assessment) and how best to meet these needs until the age of 21 (or longer if the young person is in education or training). The assessment should commence once a child has reached 16 years and 3 months; with the Pathway Plan being written as soon as possible: Areas covered should include:

• Accommodation;
• Practical life skills including money management;
• Education and training;
• Employment;
• Financial support;
• Specific support needs;
• Contingency plans for support if independent living breaks down.

Together these elements are intended to provide a full package of support to the young person to enable them to make the transition from care to living independently.

All children and young people prior to being accommodated (wherever possible) will have their needs assessed effectively and comprehensively, with a Placement Plan, and or Care Plan completed by the Local Authority outlining how their needs will be met, placement objectives and what outcomes are expected.

Upon admission, the home will utilise the ‘relevant plans’ to extract the objectives and desired outcomes to formulate their ‘Placement, Care and Pathway Plan’ (PCPP) along with referral documentation, 72hr Review Meeting and initial 28-day planning meeting outcomes.

Where any ‘relevant plan’ is not available the Home/Deputy Manager must review the regulations for the individual plan and make formal representation to the professional body to request this to be provided within required timescales.

The Home/ Deputy Manager will report their concerns to their Regional Manager.

On occasions where this request is not adhered to, despite best endeavours, the Home/Deputy Manager must escalate their concerns to the governing body of the professional concerned.

The Home/ Deputy Manager must ensure that the initial PCPP is completed within 5 working days of the child’s admission.

The PCPP will be updated following any review of ‘relevant plans’.

The PCPP will be explained to the child so they can understand what support they will receive throughout their placement at the home.

To gain the views of the child regarding their own needs for support we complete an Outcome Star with them upon arrival. We predominately use the ‘Teen Star’ this star is the best fit for our main service user group; there is a ‘My Star’ for younger children and for our older service group on independent living and staying close programme there is the ‘Young Person’s Star’. Alternatively, the Outcome Tracker function within ‘’ CHARMS’’ can also monitor progress of a child.

Children will be encouraged to reflect and review their Star Chart or Outcome Tracker prior to each LAC Review so their own perspective of progress can be captured. Their views and opinions should be included within the PCPP.

All plans should be saved as soon as received onto the child’s electronic case file on Charms under the relevant progress action.

After the Review the social worker is responsible for updating and circulating the Care Plan, Personal Education Plan (PEP) and, if appropriate, the Pathway Plan. The Manager of the Home is responsible for updating and circulating the child's Placement Plan.

The Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) normally prepares and circulates a record of decisions and recommendations within 5 working days. A full record of the meeting will competed within 15 working days and sent to all relevant parties within 20 working days of the Review. The home must record ‘internal minutes’ of the meetings so they can refer to these whilst awaiting the ‘formal minutes’ to be circulated.

Within 10 working days, the social worker must update the Care Plan and re-circulate it.

The Home's manager has an important role in making sure that recommendations are implemented, by the Home and other agencies. If there are concerns that recommendations are not being implemented, the Home's manager should discuss the concerns with the Independent Reviewing Officer and/or their line manager.

The IRO is also responsible for monitoring the child's case in between Looked After Reviews.

For example:

• Children should be told who their IRO is and how to make contact with them;
• The IRO must be consulted before a child is placed outside the area where the child normally lives;
• The IRO should be notified and consulted if a child has been missing from the Home;
• Children have a right to contact their IRO if they are concerned about their placement or Care Plan.

If the IRO has concerns about the child's case e.g. that the Care Plan is not being properly progressed, they have a duty to report this to CAFCASS

The Home's manager should ensure that children are informed of their right to contact their IRO. Furthermore the Home's manager should also consult the IRO if they have any concerns about the child's placement.

Disruption Meetings should be convened in relation to children whose placement has ended abruptly or on an unplanned basis.

When endings are unplanned, the welfare and well-being of children remain paramount and staff must always act with this in mind. The needs and feelings of other children living in the Home must also be taken into account.

An emergency placement planning meeting should always be held where there are fears that a placement is at risk of disruption.

Where a placement breaks down or ends on an unplanned basis, the manager of the Home must convene a Disruption Meeting within 5 working days.

An ‘off line’ manager will usually chair the meeting. In complex cases, however, consideration will be given to appointing an independent person as chair. Those invited, or asked to contribute, should be:

1. The child;
2. The parents;
3. The child's social worker and manager;
4. The link worker/keyworker and Home manager;
5. The child's Independent Reviewing Officer;
6. Other relevant staff/professionals.

The meeting will ensure the child (depending on their age and level of understanding) is given the opportunity to understand the reasons for and be supported with managing the transition.

The precise agenda will depend on the child/circumstances, but the manager/chair should ensure the circumstances leading to the disruption are properly reviewed, and that all concerned are provided with opportunities to express their views freely with a view to establishing:

• How and why the emergency / disruption occurred;
• To learn from what happened and avoid the same thing happening again - for the child or others in the Home;
• To contribute to the future planning for the child;
• To identify work to be done and to ensure it is completed;
• To ensure that appropriate notifications and other post placement arrangements have been undertaken.

The manager should keep minutes, which must be circulated to all concerned. All minutes must be retained on the child’s file, on Charms.

Local Information to follow.