Moving on from the Home

Children must remain in the home unless moving is in their best interests.

Whenever possible the child’s views, wishes and feelings should be taken into account.

The move should be as a result of the child’s needs no longer being met by the Home or the home not delivering a service required to meet the child’s Care Plan.

• No transfers or changes may be made without consulting the following people, (NOTE: if a child is moved in an emergency where it is impossible to notify/consult the following people, they must be notified within 1 working day. If a child is moved out of the home temporarily, they should be treated as if they are still living at the Children’s Home in which they were placed and their place at the home cannot be terminated without the agreement of the Placing Authority as described below):
• The child’s social worker;
• Where the child is in full time education at Key Stage 4 the effect of a move and any disruption to the child’s education needs to be seriously considered in this circumstance, the change must be agreed by the Nominated Officer in the placing authority, who must ensure that the child's wishes and feelings have been obtained and taken into consideration and that the Designated Teacher in the child’s school has been consulted upon the move and how disruptions to the young person’s education can be kept to a minimum;
• The child's Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO), who may decide to convene a Looked After Review before any decision is made to move the child;
• The social worker should notify/consult the child’s parents.

Where it appears that the child will benefit from a transfer from one Home to another, the existing Manager should consult with the Responsible Individual before any discussion takes place either with the child or the social worker. Once a decision in principle has been agreed an appropriate internal move that can meet the child's needs will be identified. At this point discussion will take place with the placing authority social worker outlining the reasons for the proposal. A move can only take place once approval from the Placing Authority has been received in writing. The Responsible Individual or senior manager on call if out of hours can give approval for a move in the event of an emergency but the Registered Manager must discuss this with the placing authority at the earliest opportunity on the next working day.

Any decision to terminate a child’s ability to live in our home and request that they be discharged and moved to a home outside our care must be approved by the Responsible Individual.

Normally, children will remain in their existing home for a minimum of 28 days after the decision to move has been reached. In exceptional circumstances, it may be necessary for a child to move immediately, from one home to another or for the provision of a home to be ended. In such circumstances, the Registered Manager must consult the social worker but the final decision will rest with the Responsible Individual.

Agreement to the transfer/discharge must be issued by the Placing Authority in writing.

Assuming that the social worker and IRO have been consulted, the existing Manager should liaise with the new home/place and placing authority social worker and take all reasonable steps to ensure the child’s transfer or discharge is managed sensitively.

The child and parents should be consulted and kept informed of all key decisions and arrangements in relation to any transfer or discharge. If possible, the child and parents should undertake visits to the new Home/Place they will move to and should be provided with information such as brochures or guides.

The existing Manager should liaise with the following people to ensure adequate plans and records (see below) are completed or brought up to date before the child moves:

• The social worker;
• Parents or those with Parental Responsibility;
• The child;
• The Manager of the new social care provision;
• Teacher/School;
• Other relevant people/agencies, e.g. Personal Adviser, advocates.

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, are:

• The child's Care Plan - the social worker is responsible for this record;
• Where appropriate, the child's Pathway Plan - the social worker or Personal Adviser is responsible for this plan;
• The child's Personal Education Plan (PEP), any recent SEN Support Plan or, where appropriate, the child's Education, Health and Care Plan - the social worker should obtain these plans/reports;
• Details, plans or arrangements relating to the child's Health Care Assessment.

For transfers between our Homes, the existing and new Home's Managers must liaise with each other to ensure that all appropriate arrangements are made, for example:

1. The child's Placement Plan - the new Home's Manager is responsible for this but the existing Home's Manager should contribute/offer advice on plans/strategies that have been used. As a minimum the Placement Plan must be completed before or upon admission. The exiting Home's Manager must produce an End of Placement report within 3 days of the child's discharge;
2. The existing Home's Manager should ensure that the child's file is brought up to date, collated, tidied then passed to the new Home's Manager;
3. The new Home's Manager should arrange a Planning Meeting, preferably before the move/transfer, but within 7 days;
4. If there is a risk that the child may become missing or may absent themselves without authority, the new Home's Manager should arrange for a Risk Assessment regarding the safe management of the periods of missing to be completed (‘Misper’ risk assessment and action plan);
5. The new Manager should liaise with the social worker to ensure arrangements are in place for the child to be registered with a GP, Dentist and Optician (see Health and Wellbeing, Health Notifications and Access to Services Procedure) and should liaise with the existing Home's Manager to obtain information/arrangements for any medication or other healthcare arrangements;
6. The new Home's Manager should check to ensure that the child has had a Health Care Assessment in line with 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 child is provided with:
   • A copy of the Children's Guide;
   • A copy of the Placing Authority's Complaints Procedure;
   • A discharge clothing list;
   • Details of an independent advocate;
   • All personal items and belongings (excluding withheld items).

For all transfers/discharges within our care or to other provisions, the Registered Manager should ensure the following arrangements are made:

1. That the child takes all their clothing and personal belongings or those arrangements are made for them to be passed to the new home. The Registered Manager must ensure that the child’s belongings/clothing are packed in a luggage case / holdall or similar, (see NYAS, My Things Matter Report). It is strictly forbidden for children’s possessions to be transported in carrier bags or refuse bags.
   
   All memento albums, photographs and moments about the home should be prepared for the child so they have a record of their period of life at the home;
   
   
2. If the child is discharged from our care, the Registered Manager must ensure that the child's file is brought up to date, collated, tidied and archived;
3. The Registered Manager must ensure that the Responsible Individual and others listed in Section 3, Notifications are notified of the transfer/discharge.

The area's local authority must be notified without delay of the discharge of a child from the Home, unless that authority is also the child’s placing authority.

The notification must state:

• The child's name and date of birth;
• Whether the child is Accommodated under Section 20 or subject to a Care Order or Supervision Order;
• The contact details for:
  • The child’s placing authority; and
  • The child’s Independent Reviewing Officer.
• Whether the child has an Education, Health and Care Plan and, if so, details of the local authority which maintains the statement.

The Registered Manager should also ensure that all relevant local services are notified if the child will no longer require them (G.P, optician, dentist, clubs etc.).

The new Home's Manager should liaise with the social worker to ensure that notifications of the move are sent, by the social worker, to the Health Trust, Local Education Authority and Children's Services Department in the area where the child is placed if the move is into another Local Authority Area; these notifications must be made in writing advising of the placement decision and the name and address of the Home where the child will be placed.

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

Any arrangements for keeping in touch between the Caldecott Foundation adults and the child or their parents/family must be agreed with the social worker and set out in the child’s Placement Plan. We encourage children to keep in touch with those people that are important to them, transparent and meaningfully.