Placements with Connected Persons

1. Introduction

A child can be placed with a Connected Person for up to 16 weeks under Regulation 24 of the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010. Regulation 24(1) provides that where the local authority is satisfied that an immediate placement with a Connected Persons is the most appropriate placement for the child, the carers can have temporary approval for a period of up to 16 weeks provided that an assessment of their suitability under Regulation 24(2) has taken place. Regulation 25 of the 2010 Care Planning Regulations gives an extension of 8 weeks to the original 16 weeks.

The following policy covers immediate placements of looked after children with a Connected Person i.e. where the carers are not already approved as foster carers. Placements made under this policy should only be made in exceptional or unforeseen circumstances. This could include following a court remanding a child to Local Authority/Trust accommodation - see Remands to Local Authority Accommodation or to Youth Detention Accommodation and Secure Accommodation Policy.

A Connected Person is defined as "A relative, friend or other person connected with a child. The latter is someone who would not fit the term 'relative or friend', but who has a pre-existing relationship with the child. It could be someone who knows the child in a more professional capacity such as (for example) a child-minder, a teacher or a youth worker".

Relative is defined as "a grandparent, brother, sister, uncle or aunt (whether of the full blood or half blood or by marriage or civil partnership) or step-parent."

The policy sets out the checks that need to be made before such a placement can be made.

It also covers the policy to be followed to carry out the required assessment and approval of the Connected Person as foster carers if the placement is to last longer than 16 weeks.

2. Situations Where these Policies do not Apply

These policies do not apply where a child (under 16 yrs) goes to live with a relative or friend and this is a private arrangement between the parent/person with Parental Responsibility and carer.

If this placement continues for 28 days or more, the child may come within the definition of a Privately Fostered child, in which case the Local Authority/Trust's duties in relation to the placement are set out in the Private Fostering Policy.

3. Approval of Immediate Placements of Looked After Children with Connected Persons

Before any placement with a Connected Person who is not already approved as a foster carer is made, the approval of the Nominated Officer is required.

Any such approval can only be given for 16 weeks from the date of the placement. If the placement is needed for longer, further assessment must be carried out and further approval obtained before the end of 16 weeks - see Section 5, Assessment and Approval of a Connected Person as Foster Carer.

At an early stage in an assessment for temporary approval the social worker should contact the Team Manager, Special Guardianship and Connected Person Assessments to alert him/her to the likely need for a full assessment.

Matters to be taken into account when assessing the suitability of a Connected Person for temporary approval to foster the child are:

1. The nature and quality of any existing relationship with the child;
2. Their capacity to care for children and, in particular in relation to the child (or children) concerned, to provide for his/her physical needs and appropriate medical and dental care; to protect the child adequately from harm or danger including from any person who presents a risk of harm to the child; to ensure that the accommodation and home environment is suitable; including where relevant an initial risk assessment of any pets, together with the environment in which the pet is kept; in relation to the child's age and developmental stage, to promote his/her learning and development; to provide a stable family environment which will promote secure attachments for the child, including promoting positive contact with parents and other connected persons, unless this is not consistent with the child's welfare;
3. State of health (physical, emotional and mental), and medical history including current or past issues of domestic violence, substance misuse or mental health problems;
4. Family relationships and the composition of the household, including the identity of all other members of the household, their age and the nature of any relationship with the connected person and each other including any sexual relationship; any relationship with the parents; any relationship between the child and other members of the household; other adults (not members of the household) likely to have regular contact with the child; any current or previous domestic violence between members of the household, including the connected person;
5. Their family history, including their childhood and upbringing, and the strengths and difficulties of their parents or others who cared for them; their relationship with parents and siblings and each other; educational achievement and any learning difficulty/disability; chronology of significant life events; particulars of other relatives and their relationships with the child and the connected person;
6. Any criminal offences of which they have been convicted or in respect of which they have been cautioned (criminal records check with the Disclosure and Barring Service should be initiated for each adult member of the household);
7. Past and present employment and other sources of income;
8. Nature of the neighbourhood and resources available in the community to support the child and the Connected Person.

The format for recording the assessment is in CareDocs.

The home must be visited by the social worker as part of the assessment of the suitability of arrangements.

The child's wishes and feelings (subject to age and understanding) must be ascertained and recorded and wherever possible, an opportunity must be provided for the child to visit the home before the decision is finalised.

The views of parents/ those with Parental Responsibility must also be obtained.

The proposed carer should be given information about the assessment process which will follow if the placement is to last longer than 16 weeks, including the need for Disclosure and Barring Service checks and other agency enquiries on all members of the household aged 16 and over, as well as interviews with referees, adult children and ex-partners, which will be part of any such fostering assessment.

Where the social worker is in any doubt as to the suitability of the placement, s/he should consult the team manager, special guardianship and connected person assessments for advice before the placement is agreed.

Where the placement appears suitable and is approved by the Nominated Officer a written Placement Plan should be completed by the child's social worker with the proposed carer.

The prospective carers need to be made aware that any approval is only temporary and does not imply continued approval beyond the 16 (sixteen) weeks.

The placement may only continue after sixteen weeks if the carer is fully approved as a foster carer - see Section 5, Assessment and Approval of a Connected Person as Foster Carer - or in exceptional circumstances where the temporary approval is extended.

This temporary approval can be extended once only for a period of up to 8 weeks (if it is likely to expire before the assessment is completed). If the Connected Person is not approved and seeks a review of the decision temporary approval can be extended until the outcome of the Independent Review - see Assessment and Approvals of Foster Carers Policy). The IRO must also be informed. A decision to extend the temporary approval must be approved by the Nominated Officer.

As the Connected Person will be temporarily approved as a foster carer, the Connected Person will be required to sign a foster carer agreement. A Connected Person approved under these regulations will be entitled to the same support and services including fees, allocation of social worker and allowances as a foster carer.

Before deciding whether to extend the approval, the Local Authority/Trust must: consider whether the placement with the connected person is still the most appropriate placement available; the views of Fostering Panel must be sought and the IRO notified. The decision to extend the temporary approval will then be made by the Nominated Officer.

4. The Placement

A Placement Planning Meeting should be held before the placement or, where this is not possible because of the urgency of the placement, within 72 hours.

On the placement of the child, the child's social worker will ensure the child's Care Plan and the Placement Plan is given to the carer.

If the child was not previously Looked After, the child's social worker will send a notification of the child's placement and a request for the child's first Looked After Review to the Independent Reviewing Service.

If the child was already looked after, the social worker will send notification of the placement to the child's Independent Reviewing Officer.

The child's social worker must visit and see the child alone in the placement (unless she/he refuses) each week until the first Looked After Review and thereafter at intervals of not more than 4 weeks during the period of temporary approval. This also applies where the child is placed under and Interim Care Order. The visits are to be fully recorded as statutory visits.

The child's social worker will update the electronic record with the details of the placement and will notify finance section to trigger payments to the carer.

The child's social worker will notify the Team Manager, Special Guardianship and Connected Person Assessments of the placement to trigger the full assessment (see Section 5, Assessment and Approval of Connected Persons as Foster Carer). This should be done even if the placement is likely to last for less than 16 weeks.

The child's social worker will send notification of the placement to the relevant local Children's Services Department if the placement is in a different Local Authority/Trust area.

The child's social worker will notify all family members consulted and involved in the decision-making process of the placement.

These notifications must be made in writing, advising of the placement decision and the name and address of the person with whom the child is to be placed. They must be sent before the placement wherever possible or within 5 working days of the placement.

The child's social worker should also notify - preferably in writing but it may be verbally - all those involved in the day to day arrangements for the child, including nursery/school, GP and any health professional or YOS worker actively involved with the child.

It will be necessary for the child's social worker to ensure the child is registered with a GP, Dentist and Optician, either retaining practices known to him or her (which is preferable) or in the area where they are placed.

In relation to a first Looked After placement it will also be necessary for the social worker to arrange a Health Assessment - see Health Care Assessments and Plans Policy.

The social worker must also arrange for the completion of a Personal Education Plan - see the Supporting the Education and Promoting the Achievement of Children with a Social Worker, Looked After and Previously Looked After Children Policy. Every effort should be made to enable the child to remain at the same school unless there are reasons which would be detrimental to his or her well being.

5. Assessment and Approval of Connected Persons as Foster Carers

If the plan is for the placement to last longer than 16 weeks, the fostering assessment process should commence as soon as possible after the placement is made and the child's social worker should make a referral to the team manager, special guardianship and connected person assessments immediately to trigger a full assessment. The pre-placement assessment should be sent to the Fostering Service as part of the referral. The assessment form is different from the mainstream fostering assessment and those carrying out the assessment should verify with the fostering manager the correct form to use.

This temporary approval can be extended once only for a further period of up to 8 weeks (if it is likely to expire before the assessment is completed). If the Connected Person is not approved and seeks a review of the decision temporary approval can be extended until the outcome of the Independent Review - see Assessment and Approvals of Foster Carers Policy).

The Local Authority/Trust must consider if the placement is still the most appropriate placement available before the above approval can be given. The views of the Fostering Panel must be sought and the IRO informed. A decision to extend the temporary approval will then be made by the Nominated Officer.

A file will be opened for the foster carer's assessment. The Team Manager, Special Guardianship and Connected Person Assessments will immediately allocate responsibility for carrying out the assessment and arrange for a slot to be booked on the Fostering Panel within 16 weeks for the assessment to be considered.

The signed consent form and Disclosure and Barring Service forms will be given to the administrative staff in the Fostering Service who will send off for the necessary checks as set out in Assessment and Approvals of Foster Carers Policy, Checks and References.

The assessing social worker will explain the assessment process to the carers and provide them with written information.

The policy for the assessment and approval is as for all applicants - see Assessment and Approvals of Foster Carers Policy.

If and when the carers are approved as foster carers, the policies in relation to support, supervision and review of the foster carers are the same as for all approved foster carers.

6. Ending the Placement

When the placement ends, the child's social worker must update the child's electronic record and complete a Change Note. This will notify the finance section so that payments to the carer/provider will cease.

The social worker will also inform those notified when the placement was made.

Where appropriate, consideration may be given to holding a Disruption Meeting in which case the policy set out in Placement Planning and Disruption Meetings Policy should be followed.