Foster/Residential Home Endings

Foster/residential homes end in a variety of ways. The ending should, as far as possible, be the outcome of a planned process. This may result in:

• A move to another foster/residential home;
• Return to the child's family;
• Return to the child's family but continuing support and advice are needed and the child may return for future periods of respite care;
• Adoption;
• Leaving the foster/residential home for independent life as part of the transition to adulthood and independent living.

The aim should be to achieve a planned ending to a foster/residential home with careful preparation and transition. Consideration should always be given to facilitating ongoing links between child and their former-carers, either through visits, telephone calls or other forms of written communication.

As far as is reasonably practicable, Social Workers should avoid unplanned endings, although where a child is accommodated a parent may remove the child without notice (subject to appropriate planning and safeguards).

When a foster/residential home ends the child's Social Worker must:

• Ensure that the child, parent/s, those with Parental Responsibility and any others whose views had been sought prior to or during foster/residential home are notified if not involved in the plan (subject to their wishes and feelings and their 'Capacity' - 16 & 17 year olds);
• Ensure that any foster/residential home has formal confirmation with the unit, Foster Carer or agency that the foster/residential home has ended;
• Ensure that the record is updated and notify the foster/residential home Service to prevent unnecessary expenditure;
• Consider with the Team Manager and IRO whether a CLA review should be held to formally end the foster/residential home and/or consider other support services.

• The child needs to be told they are moving as far in advance as possible and definitely before the transport arrives to move them. Where possible, details of planned foster / residential home moves should be shared with the child at least a week in advance of the move. There may be exceptions to this which would need to be discussed with the relevant Head of Service;
• It is most important that the child is given every opportunity to prepare for and understand the reasons for the foster/residential home move. In preparing for the move, it is important that the child has an understanding of the expected duration of the intended foster/residential home;
• All details available about the new foster/residential home should be given when the child is told about the move including where possible names of the new carers /household make-up/names of staff on duty when they arrive/what the house looks like/photographs of the carers/setting etc. Wherever possible and appropriate the child should be given the opportunity to visit the proposed foster/residential home prior to the formal move. The Fostering Service will provide profiles of in-house carers and these should ideally be shared with the child as part of the pre-move preparations;
• All foster/residential home options (identified by the Brokerage Accommodation Team) (BAT) need to be based on a comprehensive assessment of the child's needs and their welfare and this assessment reflected in the foster/residential home recommendation. Where more than one foster/residential home recommendation is advanced by BAT then, where appropriate the choice should be discussed with the child and other relevant person/s before a final decision is made;
• If the move is unplanned / undertaken in an emergency it is still required that the child will, where appropriate, be provided with information about the proposed foster/residential home;
• Where possible and appropriate the child must be informed / assured that suitable transport arrangements are in place for, for example, school, existing family time visit arrangements, medical / therapeutic commitments. It is expected that such arrangements will be shared with the child prior to the start of the foster/residential home. Confirmation / clarification of such arrangements to be discussed at the Foster/residential home Planning Meeting. It is good practice to ensure that, within 24 hours of the foster/residential home, the child has details of family time arrangements with their brothers and/or sisters and any other significant persons;
• If it is not possible or appropriate to prepare the child in this way then the reasons for this decision must be recorded on LCS and endorsed (signed-off) by a manager;
• Foster/residential home Planning Meetings will be held prior to or (no later than) five days after the foster/residential home change in line with current guidance;
• A person known to the child should accompany them to the new foster/residential home. This should be the Social Worker and where this is not possible a carer/safe family member. Where escorts are required due to risks of transporting a child who is distressed this should always include a known person or the driver should be known to the child;
• In circumstances where a child aged 16 or 17 moves to a foster/residential home deemed 'Other Arrangements' a review of the care / pathway plan should take place prior to the final agreement being given to the move. The new care / pathway plan should set out all of the new arrangements for ensuring the foster/residential home meets the child's needs;
• In exceptional circumstances (a breakdown at a weekend/late evening) the Out of Hours Service (OOHS) need to obtain as much information regarding the new foster/residential home as possible to give to the child and ascertain if there is any known adult to facilitate the move;
• Where a child is recovered by the police from a missing episode to be taken to a new foster/residential home the police /OOHS need to be aware that a person known to the child should be involved in the move if at all possible. Social worker to provide details to OOHS;
• If there is a need to move at a weekend and this is known on the preceding Friday OOHS should be informed if there is a named carer who could accompany the child to their new foster/residential home.

In any move, planned or emergency, a child's possessions must be treated with the utmost respect and arrangements for their transport must reflect this. See Foster/residential home of Children Looked After, Foster/residential Planning for service provision, recording and timescale expectations.

A plan for reunification must be based on a child and Return Home Assessment, which includes an assessment of the family/parent. The IRO should be advised immediately if the plan is likely to become return home to family.

Parents with mental health issues, substance abuse or disabilities must have support from relevant agencies identified through the assessments.

The plan for return home needs to be agreed at a CLA review.

Once the child returns to live with a person with Parental Responsibility, they cease to be Looked After (S20) and the period of care must be ended on LCS subject to the requirements of Regulation 39.

All key agencies need to be notified of the return home and that the child is no longer Looked After.

In some circumstances child and young people's legal status may change without a change of foster/residential home (e.g. discharge of a Care Order, young person reaching 18, a decision that a young person is no longer to be regarded as accommodated).

In these circumstances the Social Worker must notify the following persons of the changes:

• The child (having regard to age and understanding);
• Any persons with Parental Responsibility;
• The child's GP.

In so far as is possible, the Social Worker must ensure that the child and their parents fully understand the implications of the change of status.

It is implicit in legislation that young people should remain CLA until their 18th birthday if not returning home.

In accordance with the Permanence, Long Term Foster Foster/residential homes and Ceasing to Look After a Child Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities, March 2015, in making a decision to cease to look after a child under Section 20, the responsible authority must assess:

• Whether the proposed arrangements for the child's accommodation and maintenance when they cease to be looked after are suitable;
• What services and support the child, and where the child is returning home, the parent, might need when they cease to be looked after (i.e. transfer to parental financial support where a return to a parent is approved).

Any decision made to cease to look after a child (subject to Section 20) cannot be put into effect until it has been approved by a Nominated Officer for under 16's and for 16 and 17 year olds the decision needs to be approved by the Executive Director of Hertfordshire Children's Services.

Return home approval for children aged 0-15, who have been looked after for less than 20 days can be given by the relevant Service Manager.

Return home approval for children aged 0-15, who have been looked after for more than 20 days can be given by the relevant Head of Service with the Director having final authorisation.

Return home approval for young people aged 16-17 who have been in care less that 24 hours can be given by the relevant Head of Service. Please see: Delegated Authority to Foster Carers Procedure.

Following cessation of the Section 20 status and a young person becomes a relevant care leaver future planning should follow the pathway planning process.

If a child / young person is subject of a section 31 (Care Order), the child cannot cease to be a Child Looked After until discharged from the Court process.

Where a child accommodated under s20 is failing to make use of a foster or residential foster/residential home, careful consideration must be given to a change of foster/residential home and / or discharging the child from accommodation, if the child has absented themselves for more than one week or absents themselves for several days over several weeks.

In instances where a child or young person has been looked after for at least 24 hours and they are absent / not using the foster/residential home every effort should be made to keep them as a looked after child, as they are still vulnerable. The social worker should discuss the benefits of remaining in foster/residential home (e.g. housing, emotional and financial support, etc...) and inform the child that they will have a place and support available to them kept open. Children and young people should also be informed that even though their views, wishes and feelings are taken into account, the Local Authority may not agree with their decision, as they may be putting themselves at risk without support/foster/residential home.

If the child is not in contact then there should be evidence that attempted contact was made (frequency/flexible approaches). Considerations should this occur:

• Initiate a Multi-agency Risk Management Meeting (MARM) to agree plan of action, including how long to keep current foster/residential home open / offer of a new foster/residential home when required and what the process will be should the child/ young person return;
• Initiate the missing from care or home protocol if required;
• If the child / young person is a Separated Migrant Child see section under Separated Migrant Child / Young Person and Safeguarding Children from Abroad.

Before the agreed timeframe has passed to keep the current foster/residential home open, the child's Social Worker must seek the agreement of their Team Manager and give the child and their parent(s) written notice that they are to be discharged if they continue to absent themselves from the foster/residential home.

Where the child still fails to stay in the foster/residential home, they should be discharged from accommodation via a CLA review and written confirmation of discharge must be sent to the child and parent(s).

Consideration should be given to keeping a foster/residential home offer open for such a time that the young person is able to engage / re-engage with the need for a supportive foster/residential home.

Where the child leaves Section 20 accommodation in a planned way, the plan for return home and the contingency plan must be made available to the IRO, plus the CP chair for children/young people also subject to a Child Protection Plan, before the child returns home or leaves foster/residential home for an alternative arrangement. The IRO and CP Chair (where relevant) must comment on the content of the plan within 72 hours of receipt. Any areas of concern must be notified to the Team Manager and the Nominated Officer immediately.

When consideration is being given to cease CLA status for children and young people who have been looked after for at least 20 working days, practitioners must complete the Return Home Assessment on LCS to seek authorisation to cease CLA from senior management / Nominated Officer.

The IRO chairs the first Pathway Plan review meeting within a maximum of 28 days of S20 accommodation ceasing, whether this has been planned or unplanned.

For 16 and 17 year olds, the IRO chairs the first Pathway Plan review meeting when the young person becomes a relevant care leaver.

Where the IRO and the Team Manager agree that an independent review of the actions and decisions from the last CLA review would be beneficial to the young person, the IRO can be asked to chair the first Pathway Plan review post 18.