3.13.7 Young Parents who are Looked After or are Care Leavers - Support and Safeguarding

SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER

These procedures are intended for all Looked After young people and care leavers. Whenever a pregnancy becomes known, support and safeguarding needs to be considered at the earliest opportunity. A pre-birth Core Assessment will be required for all under 18 looked after children and consideration given for a Core Assessment on care leavers who are over 18. In all cases an Initial Assessment will be undertaken on the unborn child. See Section 9, Table of Actions.

AMENDMENTS

This chapter was significantly amended in November 2010 and should be re read in its entirety.

Care and Pathway Plans
Personal Advisors
Awareness a Young Person is to be a Parent
Issues to be Considered for Assessment of Need
Pre-birth Core Assessment
Pre-birth Professionals Meeting
Content of a Pre-birth Core Assessment
Range of Actions Following a Pre-birth Core Assessment
Table of Actions

1. Care and Pathway Plans

Care and Pathway planning is part of the assessment process, for use with young people which explicitly requires workers to explore, amongst other things, the young person's sexual health needs. This provides an opportunity to consider with the young person issues of relationships, safe sex and contraception. Additionally it provides an opportunity, before the event to consider their attitude towards Parenthood. This should facilitate the development of a trusting relationship with the worker in which such sensitive issues can be explored and the young person can share with the worker at the earliest opportunity the possibility of Parenthood. The Care and Pathway Plan will inform the Initial Assessment on the unborn child.

2. Personal Advisors

Former relevant young people, aged 18-21 should be provided with support by a personal advisor. Once the personal advisor is aware that a young person they are working with is facing Parenthood, they must alert their Manager. A decision will be made whether a pre-birth core assessment will be undertaken. See Section 9, Table of Actions.

3. Awareness a Young Person is to be a Parent

Once a worker is made aware that a young person is likely to become a Parent that worker must meet with them to consider their wishes and feelings. Like all people facing Parenthood, young people who are Looked After and care leavers are likely to be experiencing a range of emotions and need time and space to think through the implications of such news for their particular situation.

4. Issues to be Considered for Assessment of Need

Workers are required to alert their Manager to the fact that a young person they are working with is to become a Parent. In supervision they should consider

The young person's attitude towards impending Parenthood
Their expressed views about their future hopes and aspirations
Their experience to date of family life
The circumstances surrounding their admission to care and the implications of this for their ability to Parent a child
The quality of their relationship and any risks arising
The supports available to them

Any particular needs arising out of race, culture or disability

The worker is expected to explain to the young person, the importance of the early identification of any support needs and any issues about the safeguarding of child to be born or if there are any concerns for a need for a second opinion about the young person's capacity to Parent. If under 18 the young person needs to be informed that a pre-birth core assessment will be undertaken. If over 18, a pre-birth Core Assessment may be undertaken dependent on the perceived risks and safeguarding issues.

5. Pre-birth Core Assessment

A Pre-birth Core Assessments will be required where;

for all looked after and relevant young people
there has been a previous unexplained death of a child whilst in the care of either Parent
a Parent or other adult in the household is a risk to children
a sibling in the household is subject to a Child Protection Plan
a sibling has previously been removed from the household either temporarily or by Court order
domestic violence is known to have occurred
the degree of Parental substance misuse is likely to significantly impact on the baby's safety or development
the degree of Parental mental illness/impairment is likely to significantly impact on the baby's safety or development
there are concerns about Parental ability to self care and/or to care for the child e.g. unsupported or with learning disability
any other concern exists that the baby may be at risk of significant harm including a Parent previously suspected of fabricated or inducing illness in a child

6. Pre-birth Professionals Meeting

Active consideration should be given to convening a professionals meeting to consider the course of action and develop a plan for the unborn child. The Quality Assurance Team Manager is available for consultation on all matters relating to the support needs and safeguarding of children.

If there are serious concerns about the safeguarding of the child, a decision will be made whether there is a need for a Legal Planning Meeting or an Initial Child Protection case conference.

7. Content of a Pre-birth Core Assessment

For the majority of Looked After young people and care leavers facing Parenthood there will be no information about their ability to care for a child and workers will have to use the knowledge they have about both the needs of babies, how they change as they grow and set this against their knowledge of the young person in question.

The pre-birth core assessment will follow the format set out in the Assessment Framework, which provides helpful and detailed guidance on the dimensions of an assessment. Workers should endeavour to build on the issues they identified in discussion with their Manager, addressing areas of risk and identifying strategies to address it.

Their report will need to consider ;

The child's developmental needs. This will require the worker to anticipate the needs of a new born child and how these will change as the child develops. It will be important to consider any anticipated difficulties relating to the child's health, for example has health screening indicated likely disability or substance dependency.
The Parents capacity to meet the child's needs. This will require the worker to reflect on Departmental records concerning the young person's background, the reasons they were admitted to care, their experience of family life and understanding of a child's needs. They will also need to consider the young person's ability to learn new skills, their motivation and ability to accept advice. Above all they will need to assess the young person's impulsivity and willingness to prioritise a child's needs above their own.
The family and environmental factors This will require the worker to make judgements about on the young person's ability to Parent given the impact their history, current circumstances and available supports. They will need to consider the young person's history of accepting support and it's availability to them. They will need to identify the supports and services that could helpfully address any perceived gaps in their skills.
Analysis of the risk factors, strengths in the family environment, factors likely to change and why, factors that might change, how and why, factors that will not change and why. The report should conclude with recommendations regarding the need, or not, for a pre-birth child protection conference which should wherever possible be held 10 weeks prior to the expected delivery date or earlier if a premature birth is likely.

8. Range of Actions Following a Pre-birth Core Assessment

The completed pre-birth core assessment will be considered by the responsible Team Manager, who will consult with the Quality Assurance Team Manager and will make a decision about the need for a child protection case conference.

The outcomes of a pre-birth core assessment are

A child in need plan is developed
A child protection case conference is necessary as the assessment indicates that the unborn child is likely to be at risk of significant harm with out formal intervention.
It may be necessary to hold a legal planning meeting, the purpose of which would be to decide if legal action is necessary to protect the unborn child.
The requirements of the Child Protection procedures need to be followed.

9. Table of Actions

Safeguarding and Support to Looked After Children and Care Leavers Aged 16 to 21 who are Pregnant

In all cases - an Initial Assessment (ia) on unborn child is undertaken by a LAC or Leaving Care Social Worker who opens unborn child record on ICS and completes parental factors tab on ICS
Following completion of IA within 7 days, LAC/LC TM consults with QA TM who decides:

IF UNDER 18 - PRE BIRTH CA COMPLETED IN ALL CASES WITHIN 20 WEEKS OF EDD	IF OUT OF BOROUGH	IF OVER 18 - PRE BIRTH CA COMPLETED IN ALL CASES WITHIN 20 WEEKS OF EDD
TM with case responsibility decides if a Pre Birth Core Assessment (CA) is to be undertaken jointly with FSI & LAC/LC Social Worker or solely by LAC/LC Social Worker. QA TM to be consulted.	QA TM liaise with relevant LA to establish who should undertake Pre Birth CA. See Pan London CP procedures para 6.8.5 (page 280). If not London, QA TM liaises with local CP Manager.	FSI/ LCTM decides if Pre Birth Core Assessment (CA) is required as early as possible as early Intervention produces better outcomes. QA TM to be consulted.
If joint, continued joint work between FSI & LAC/LC re safeguarding of child. 11 weeks before the EDD FSI TM to ensure CA is updated . FSI and QA TM to consider need for LPM / ICPC which is to be held 10 weeks before estimated date of delivery (EDD).	May result in pre-birth CA being completed by Lewisham if resistance from LA to prevent delay. See under 18 or over 18 process but in all cases IA is completed and can be used as part of referral to other LA.	If pre-birth CA required, referral by Leaving Care Personal Adviser (LC PA) to R&A to complete with LC PA assistance .
If Pre-birth CA is solely by LAC/LC Social Worker, low level risk but not significant harm threshold, consult with FSI TM to agree how post birth monitoring can be effectively established.		11 weeks before the estimated date of delivery (EDD) R&A TM to ensure CA is updated . R&A and QA TMs to consider need for LPM / ICPC which is to be held within 10 weeks of EDD.
If CA by LAC / LC Social Worker, reveals areas of concern consultation to take place between LAC/LC TM and QA TM about the need for LPM / ICPC which is to be held 10 weeks before EDD.		If after consultation with R&A and QA TMs threshold re significant harm is met, Decision to be made about the need for LPM / ICPC which is to be held 10 weeks before EDD. Case will transfer to FSI after birth in the usual way.
If no risks, support required, refer to Sure Start Plus & develop a CIN Plan for the baby & TAC with weekly monitoring in first 10 weeks then 6 weekly monitoring thereafter. Referral to Family Support Panel. Child remains open on ICS as CIN Active consideration to be given to convening a professional meeting to support CIN plan & Team Around the Child (TAC).		If no pre-birth CA required, Child in Need (CIN) only, PA at Leaving Care Over 18 Team refers for Targeted Family Support via Family Support Panel and development of TAC If not CIN, PA provides Leaving Care Services and monitors parenting, recording findings on both parent & child record.

No closure of LAC / Care Leavers Child Record on ICS without Team Around the Child (TAC) Meeting.

End