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Contents

1. Placement Planning Meetings
2. Placement Stability/Emergency Meetings

1. Placement Planning Meetings

The purpose of Placement Planning Meetings is to ensure that children’s Placement Plan/Placement Information Record's are brought or kept up to date and continue to meet the needs of broader or wider plans, such as a Care Plan, Personal Education Plan or Pathway Plan.

Frequency of meetings

1. Before a child is placed, a Pre-Placement Planning Meeting should be convened either to confirm and/or plan the arrangements for placement including the drawing up of a Placement Plan/Placement Information Record.
2. After a child is placed, within a week of the child’s placement, then at other intervals determined by the Manager in consultation with the Social Worker (e.g. after a Looked After Review).

Arranging and Chairing Meetings

Meetings should be convened by the Social Worker, and can be chaired by the Social Worker, Supervising Social Worker or Home’s Manager.

Meetings should be conducted in the form of a meeting but may be conducted over the telephone, if there is agreement between all parties that this is appropriate.

Who should contribute to Meetings

The people listed below should contribute to the meetings:

1. The child’s Social Worker and/or other professional associated with the child e.g. Personal Advisor or Advocate
2. The child
3. The child’s Parents
4. The child’s Carer, Keyworker or Home Manager

Preparation and Conducting Meetings

Before the meeting the chairperson should obtain or be updated on the following, if available:

• The child’s Placement Plan/Placement Information Records
• Any work which has been undertaken by key professionals involved in supporting the child’s placement
• If relevant: the child’s Care Plan, Personal Education Plan and Pathway Plan.

The chairperson should also ensure that the child, Parent(s) and others who have been asked to contribute understand the purpose of the review, how it will be conducted and are given the opportunity to put their views and suggestions.

During the meeting, the chairperson should ensure that consideration is given to the appropriateness of the placement within the context of the child’s Care Plan or Pathway Plan and the need for the Placement Plans/Placement Information Records to be drawn up or amended as appropriate.

This does not mean that amendments to Placement Plans/Placement Information Records may only be made at Planning Meetings. When Placement Plans/Placement Information Records are formulated and at each Planning Meeting, the Social Worker and Manager/chair should agree the extent to which they can be amended between Planning Meetings or without consultation.

The chairperson should consider whether the child requires an Advocate or the appointment of an Independent Visitor; if so, this should be raised with the Placing Authority. See Advocates and Independent Visitors.

If there are concerns about the suitability or stability of the placement, see Section 2, Placement Stability/Emergency Meetings.

2. Placement Stability/Emergency Meetings

Placement Stability Meetings should be conveved where placements which are considered to be suitable for a child are at risk of breaking down.

Emergency Meetings should be convened where a child has been placed on an unplanned or emergency basis.

Stage 1: Placement Stability Meetings

Where a worker (including the key worker, Supervising Social Worker, SWRO, PST worker or IRO), believes that a placement which is in the child’s best interest, is at risk of breakdown, he/she should inform their direct Line Manager and where appropriate convene a First Stage “Placement Stability Meeting.”

This is a meeting for the professionals concerned with the case and will not include the Carer or child at this stage. It takes the form of a strategy or planning meeting and can be convened for in-house and IFA placements (and be considered for residential placements where appropriate) which are at risk of breakdown.

To provide objectivity, the fieldwork Service Manager or the child’s IRO should chair the meeting to:

1. focus on the factors that are causing the placement to disrupt (using the ‘predictors’ attached)
2. seek solutions to support the Carers and child to avoid breakdown.

The outcome of the meeting, specifying what actions have been agreed, should be recorded and shared with the Carers, and where appropriate the child.

The meeting can be called at any stage of the child’s placement and can be triggered by any concern that the child may be about to experience an unplanned move. The meeting should include the Carer’s Supervising Social Worker, the key worker, the placement support worker and any other professional (e.g. teacher/ therapist) that has a direct input to the placement. This may also include the worker’s direct Line Manager and the IRO where this would be helpful.

Stage 2: Placement Stability Meetings

One of the options to consider following the first stage meeting, is the ability to call a second meeting for a wider group of people, to include the child’s Carers, the child (if of an age to participate) and other participants who can contribute to establishing placement stability. Consideration should be given to inviting an advocate for the child if they are invited. This meeting is then at stage two. It can be chaired by the same SM or the chair can be transferred to the child’s IRO.

It is important to stress that the meeting is to be seen as a positive response to the emergent crisis and not as a blaming or critical analysis of the placement. The ultimate aim is to restore stability and support the Carers so that they can continue offering a Home to the child in question.

Emergency Placement Meetings

Emergency Meetings should be convened where a child has been placed on an unplanned or emergency basis.

They should be convened within 3 working days of the placement – 48 hours if the child is placed in Secure Accommodation on an unplanned basis (for upto 72 hours).

They should be convened by the Social Worker, and chaired by the Social Worker, Supervising Social Worker or Home’s Manager.

The purpose of the Emergency Meeting is to determine if the placement is suitable and, either, to draw up appropriate plans for the placement or make decisions/recommendations for the child’s move to a more suitable placement.

If the child is placed in Secure Accommodation, Legal Services must be consulted with a view to applying for a Secure Accommodation Order.

The people listed below should contribute to the meetings:

1. The child’s Social Worker and/or other professional associated with the child e.g. Personal Adviser or Advocate
2. The child
3. The child’s Parents
4. The child’s Carer, Keyworker or Home Manager

The chairperson should also ensure that the child, Parent(s) and others who have been asked to contribute understand the purpose of the meeting, how it will be conducted and are given the opportunity to put their views and suggestions.

During the meeting, the chairperson should ensure that consideration is given to the appropriateness of the placement within the context of the child’s Care Plan or Pathway Plan and the need for the Placement Plan/Placement Information Records to be drawn up or amended as appropriate.

End