Leaving the Home

Children must remain in the Home unless it no longer meets their needs as set out in the Care Plan, or the Home has been unable to deliver the services required to meet the child's assessed 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 a child / young person would benefit from a transfer to another home or 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 transfer to another Home is made the following people must be consulted and their views recorded:

• The child;
• The child's social worker;
• The child's Independent reviewing Officer (IRO);
• 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 to 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 Placements and Emergency Reviews Procedure.

Specific Requirements at Key Stage 4

A senior officer in the placing 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 placing 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 placing 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.

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 discuss with the child that expectations such as 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.

When children leave the Home, staff will promote positive endings and help them to build their ‘life story’.

As well as longer-term support for children to move on from the Home effectively, the Home has an important role in supporting each child leaving the Home in the period immediately before their departure. The registered person should work with the placing authority to ensure that each child’s transition is planned and help each child to prepare for leaving both practically and emotionally.

When a child leaves or transfers from the Home, suitable luggage should be used.

Assuming the decision to move the child has been approved at the Looked After Review, the existing manager should liaise with the new manager and take all reasonable steps to ensure the young person's transfer or discharge 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 any transfer or discharge. 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 worker;
• 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 Care Assessment.

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

1. The young person's Placement Plan - the new Home manager/carer is responsible for this but the existing Home manager should contribute/offer advice on plans/strategies that have been used. Ideally the Placement Plan must be completed before or upon admission, or if 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's discharge;
2. The existing Home manager should ensure that the young person's file is brought up to date. Any hard copy documents should be passed to the new Home manager/carer;
3. If it appears necessary, the new Home manager/carer/child’s social worker should arrange a Placement 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: Care and Placement Planning 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 social worker to ensure arrangements are in place for the young person to be registered with a GP, Dentist and Optician (see 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/carer should check to ensure that the young person has had a Health Care Assessment as set out in Health Care Assessments and 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/discharges 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/carer. The existing Home manager must ensure that the young person's belongings/clothing are packed in a luggage case/holdall or similar;
2. Where children have been in the Home for an extended period, memento albums and photographs from the Home should be prepared for them so they have a record of their period of life at the Home;
3. The existing Home manager must ensure that the young person's file is brought up to date, collated, tidied and archived;
4. The existing and new Home Manager must ensure that the Designated Manager (Transfers) and others listed in Section 3, Notifications are notified of the transfer/discharge.

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 placing 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.

The registered person must notify, without delay, the local authority for the area in which the Home is located of every admission of a child into the Home and every discharge of a child from the Home.

The notification must state:

1. The child’s name and date of birth;
2. Whether the child is provided with accommodation under section 20 or 21 of the Children Act 1989(1);
3. Whether the child is subject to a care or supervision order under section 31 of the Children Act 1989(2);
4. The contact details for:
   1. The child’s placing authority; and
   2. The Independent Reviewing Officer appointed for the child’s case; and
5. Whether the child has an EHC Plan and, if so, details of the local authority with responsibility for the EHC plan or for maintaining the statement of special educational needs.

The social worker should also notify the young person's parents and significant relatives or friends, and should liaise with the new Home manager to arrange contact with the young person. NOTE: No contact may be permitted between the young person and their parents, relatives or friends unless agreed with the social worker and set out in the young person's Care Plan.

Any arrangements for aftercare or on going contact between our care staff and the young person or their parents/family must be agreed with the social worker and set out in the young person's Placement Plan.