3.2.9 Placement Support Meeting |
Contents
1. Guiding Principles
| 1.1 | The right to family life is a fundamental right for all children. In exceptional circumstances, where it is not possible for children to live with their own families, children and young people should have the opportunity to live in an environment that enables them to develop strong attachments lasting into adulthood. Therefore, it must be the primary objective of all staff working with a child in care to ensure that the child is appropriately placed and supported. Consequently, regardless of placement type, as corporate parent we must do everything possible to work in a spirit of cooperation across Children’s Services and wider partnership to prevent placement breakdown which results in multiple placements and poor outcomes for children. |
| 1.2 | There are normally numerous warning signs before the placement reaches breaking point. The aim of the placement support meeting is to:
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| 1.3 | Placements are often vulnerable during transition and movement, particularly whenever a child is moving from an out of city/agency placement to a city council resource. The Placement Support Meeting has a key role to play in ensuring that all necessary resources are brought to bear whenever there is a complex change in placement or whenever a child moves in crisis, whether to a fostering or residential placement. |
| 1.4 | Whilst the purpose of the Placement Support Meeting will generally be to prevent breakdown with the aim of sustaining the placement, there will be occasions where the meeting’s primary objective is to assist the ending of the placement and an appropriately supported moving on plan. |
| 1.5 | Breakdown in education placement is often a key factor in placement endings. Attendance of the appropriate representative from Learning and Standards at the Placement Support Meeting is essential where education issues are critical factors in the particular case. |
| 1.6 | Consequently, it is an expectation that a Placement Support Meeting will be called when fragility is detected within the placement and well before a placement breakdown, except in the rare situation where an unprecipitated serious incident results in the removal of a child for their own protection or the protection of others. A Placement Support Meeting must be called prior to consideration being given for the purchase of an agency placement arising from a placement breakdown. |
| 1.7 | The Placement Support Meeting is not a disruption meeting by another name, nor is it a substitute for a Placement Planning Meeting. |
| 1.8 | Placement support brings together a range of resources to develop imaginative and creative responses to maintain a child in a placement and to enable the placement to meet the child’s assessed needs. |
2. Convening a Placement Support Meeting
| 2.1 | In normal circumstances a request for a Placement Support Meeting will be initiated by the team manager, following discussion with the ART Manager. |
| 2.2 | It is expected that the child’s social worker should be in a position to develop an oversight of placement vulnerability, working in partnership with those with statutory responsibility for providing the service, (for example fostering social workers and residential home staff). However, any worker involved with a child may identify factors which make the placement vulnerable and should be in a position to contact the child’s social worker to suggest a Placement Support Meeting. |
| 2.3 | Where disagreements arise around the calling of a meeting this should be resolved by a discussion between the Service Manager responsible for the child and the Service Manager, Access to Resources. |
| 2.4 | The need for a meeting may well be identified in a Child Care Review. Consequently an Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO), may be the trigger agent for a Placement Support Meeting; however the responsibility for requesting the meeting will be held by the child’s social worker. |
| 2.5 | The Service Manager responsible for the child and the Service Manager, Access to Resources must be informed in all cases where a Placement Support Meeting is being called. The meeting will be chaired by a Service Manager from the Children’s Services management team. |
| 2.6 | Invitations will go out from the Service Manager, Access to Resources who will designate the chair (usually a named service manager though not exclusively). The meeting should take place within five working days, although the need to engage key figures may make this longer. |
| 2.7 | The urgency should always be dictated by the fragility of the placement, not diary commitments. Given the urgent nature of this meeting, whilst it will not be possible to accommodate everyone’s diaries, there is an expectation that these meetings will be prioritised. In the event that named invitees cannot attend, they will ensure effective representation on their behalf. |
| 2.8 | Those attending should ensure that they attend empowered to commit resources from their own service and with the relevant paperwork. This should include any of the following:
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| 2.9 | Invitations will go to any departmental staff and partner agencies believed to be relevant to contributing to knowledge of the child and the appropriate support package for the placement. These may include the following, dependent on age, existing needs and circumstances of the child:-
(This list is not exhaustive) N.B. Breakdown in education placement is often a key factor in placement breakdown. Attendance by the appropriate representative from Learning and Standards at the Placement Support Meeting is essential where education issues may be concerned. |
| 2.10 | All those attending the meeting must have the authority to offer the services of their team to the child/ carer if this is appropriate |
3. Output/process
| 3.1 | A minute taker will be nominated by the chair if the coordinator cannot attend. |
| 3.2 | The discussion should focus on the analysis of the child’s needs in the context of the history, behaviour patterns, triggers and risk, together with an analysis of the impact on the placement and the support needed |
| 3.3 | Whilst the history of the current placement is important, the discussion should avoid concentrating on narrative at the expense of analysis and the chair has a crucial role in ensuring that all key issues are given appropriate focus. Professionals should engage in problem solving rather than defending existing positions. Creative thinking is essential. |
| 3.4 | The meeting will establish a Placement Support Plan. All contributors must be signed up to delivery within agreed timescales and subject to review. The chair will monitor, subsequent to the meeting, whether agreed actions have been delivered. |
| 3.5 | The meeting will also register unmet need through the minutes. Minutes will always be forwarded to the relevant Service Manager for the child and the Service Manager, Access to Resources. |
4. Outcome
| 4.1 | The action plan to support the placement will provide wrap around support sharing responsibility with the case manager for supporting the placement. |
| 4.2 | A clear view and shared understanding are established of the child’s needs. |
| 4.3 | The placement is sustained, providing the best option for meeting the child’s assessed needs at that time. |
| 4.4 | Improved placement stability targets are achieved. |
| 4.5 | In circumstances where the placement subsequently breaks down, the analysis of the child’s needs inform the planning for subsequent placement. |
End