5.3.1 Care Plans

Who must have a Care Plan
Who is Responsible for the Plan
Timescales for Completion
Approval of the Plan
The Care Plan and Other Plans
The Care Plan for Children in Short Break Care
Consultation
Review
Circulation

1. Who must have a Care Plan

Every Looked After child must have a Care Plan.

The Integrated Children’s System ‘Care Plan’ is suitable for this purpose. Please see Integrated Children's System Procedure

When a child becomes Looked After, if there is a Core Assessment it should be used to inform the Care Plan. See Decision to Look After Procedure

A Care Plan should be made before any child/young person is looked after, even if only for a few days.

It is important that the child and family, and the Carers are clear about the purpose of the placement. Therefore, the Care Plan should be completed before a child is placed. In some cases, for example in emergencies where this is not practicable, the Care Plan should be completed as soon as possible after the child is placed - at the latest, within 14 days of the placement.

Where a child is the subject of legal proceedings in the Family Court the Care Plan should form the basis of the plan to be presented to the Court.

The Care Plan should identify the overall aim, for the child of being in care and the potential timescales involved. Without these it will be difficult to establish whether the placement is achieving its aim.

The purpose of the placement and action and services provided should be informed by an up to date assessment. For children becoming looked after this will be provided by a Core Assessment, which will have been completed prior to or within 35 working days of the child or young person becoming Looked After. Research indicates that most children who become looked after are already known to Children’s Social Care. Therefore, many will already have an up to date Core Assessment and Child’s Plan. These should be used to inform the Care Plan.

The Care Plan is in two parts:

Part One - sets out the overall aim of the plan for the child,which can only be changed at a Looked After Review.
Part Two - identifies what services and actions are required to respond to the child’s identified developmental needs. This Part can be amended, by the Social Worker, between Looked After Reviews.

2. Who is Responsible for the Plan

The Care Plan must be completed and updated by the child’s Social Worker - Part One can only be amended at a Looked After Review.

Part Two, which identifies what services and actions are required to respond to the child’s identified developmental needs, can be amended by the Social Worker as agreed by the Team Manager.

3. Timescales for Completion

The Care Plan must be drawn up as soon as the need for the child to be looked after has been identified. It should be completed prior to the child’s first placement or within 14 days of the child becoming looked after, with the Manager’ approval. See Decision to Look After Procedure.

If there are exceptional reasons that prevent the Care Plan from being drawn up prior to the child’s placement, the key objectives of the child’s admission to the looked after service and the proposed placement must still be identified and recorded.

4. Approval of the Plan

Care Plans relating to Accommodated children can be authorise by Team Managers, Care Plans in relation to Care Proceedings should be approved by Designated Manager (Care Proceedings).

5. The Care Plan and Other Plans

The Care Plan includes additional elements such as the Personal Education Plan (PEP), Health Plan and Permanence Plan.

For some children, the Care Plan will include a Child Protection Plan.

Where the overall aim of the Care Plan is adoption or for older young people moving to independence, the Adoption Plan and Pathway Plan will replace Part Two of the Care Plan.

The Looked After Review should consider Parts One and Two of the Care Plan.

The Care Plan and Personal Education Plan (PEP)

Education plays a key role in the intellectual and social development of children. For some looked after children school may be one of the most consistent areas in their lives.

A Looked After child is required to have a Personal Education Plan (PEP) agreed within 20 school days of becoming Looked After or joining a new school.

An effective Personal Education Plan will be based on an understanding of a child’s educational experience and progress over time.

The Personal Education Plan will be informed by up to date assessments of a child’s educational progress and attitude towards education, the support they are receiving from school and family, and the support they will be provided with being looked after. The Personal Education Planning process should ensure that essential arrangements for a child’s education are in place and are recorded.

The actions and services to be provided as a result of an analysis of all this information will constitute the Personal Education Plan for the child.

The Care Plan and Health

Children who are Looked After are amongst the most socially excluded groups of children in England and Wales. They have profoundly increased health needs in comparison with children from comparable socioeconomic backgrounds who are not Looked After. These needs, however, often remain unmet. As a result, many children who are looked after experience significant health inequalities and on leaving care experience very poor health, educational and social outcomes.

An holistic assessment of a child’s health, including their attitudes and behaviour towards his or her health, should be completed in time for a written report and health plan to be available for discussion at the child’s first Looked After Review i.e. four weeks after the child starts to be Looked After. If there is concern about possible abuse or neglect then the child should be seen immediately by a doctor at the start of a care episode. Likewise, if the child has an acute medical problem then he or she should be seen for this without delay.

The completed health assessment should be used to inform the health section of a child or young person’s Care Plan. Often the health assessment will identify specific actions that are required, for example, that a child needs to see an optician. The health section of the Care Plan should specify who will make the appointment and accompany the child to it. The health assessment may also identify areas where the child has missed out on specific areas of health education; for example, that a child is unaware of the risks of unprotected sex. The health section of the Care Plan should identify how this lack of knowledge will be responded to, for example, discussion with a Social Worker or Carer or designated nurse if available, or an appointment at an advice centre.

The Care Plan and Adoption Plan

If it has been decided that the child should be placed for adoption then this will be specified in Part One of the Care Plan. Following this decision an Adoption Plan should be drawn up for the child. The

Adoption Plan should be informed by Part Two of the Care Plan for the child. When an Adoption Plan is in place it replaces Part Two of the Care Plan.

The Care Plan and Pathway Plan

Where a young person has a Pathway Plan this will replace Part Two of the Care Plan. The Care Plan should inform the development of a young person’s Pathway Plan, which should draw on the outcome of the young person’s most recent Assessment and Progress Record and Pathway Plan Part One - Needs Assessment. Where a young person is no longer Looked After the Pathway Plan becomes the only plan for the young person.

6. The Care Plan for Children in Short Break Care

The LAC Care Plan should be used with children and young people receiving short break care. The Looked After Review should consider Parts One and Two of the Care Plan. The plans should be related to the overall CIN plan.

7. Consultation

This guidance must be read in conjunction with guidance on Consultation contained in Policy, Values and Principles.

The Social Worker is responsible for drawing up and updating the Care Plan in consultation with:

The child
The child’s Parents
anyone who is not a Parent but has been caring for or looking after the child
Other members of the child’s family network who are significant to the child
The child’s school or education authority
The relevant health trust
The Youth Offending Service, if the child is known to them
Any other agency involved with the child’s care

8. Review

This guidance should be read in conjunction with Looked After Reviews Procedure.

Part One, which sets out the overall aim of the plan for the child,can only be changed at a Looked After Review.

Part Two, which identifies what services and actions are required to respond to the child’s identified developmental needs, can be amended by the Social Worker as agreed by the Team Manager.

However, both parts must be updated and brought to each Looked After Review.

By the time of the second Looked After Review, the Care Plan must contain a plan for achieving permanence for the child within a timescale that is realistic, achievable and meets the child’s needs. If it is considered that the chosen avenue to permanence is not viable, the Reviewing Officer should ensure that a planning meeting is convened as a matter of urgency to consider the most appropriate permanent alternative.

At the third Looked After Review, a Contingency Plan must be made where the plan for permanence has not been achieved. No further rehabilitation plan should be included in the plan unless there are exceptional reasons to justify it or where further assessment is specifically directed by the Court in which case, the Contingency Plan must include the active pursuit of an alternative placement for the child.

All subsequent Reviews should review the progress and validity of the Permanence Plan.

9. Circulation

The Care Plan must be circulated to the following people:

The child - care must be taken to ensure the child understands it.
If necessary, the child should be given additional material, suitable to his/her needs and abilities, which can better explain the Care Plan.
The Parent(s) - who may also require help to understand the plan Providers/Carers - if no Care Plan has been drawn up prior to the child’s placement, the Social Worker must ensure that the providers/Carers understand the key objectives of the plan, and how the placement will help achieve these objectives.

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