Leaving the Home

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

• No transfers or changes of placement 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 placement cannot be terminated without the agreement of the placing authority as described below):
• The child’s Social Worker;
• If the child in Key Stage 4 (year’s 10 or 11), the change of placement must be agreed by a senior manager in the placing authority; the senior manager must ensure that the child’s wishes and feelings have been obtained and that the Designated Teacher in the child’s school has been consulted;
• 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 young person will benefit from a transfer from one Home to another, the Existing Manager should consult with the Designated Manager (Transfers) before any discussion takes place either with the young person or the Social Worker. Once a decision in principal has been agreed an appropriate internal placement 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 placement move can only take place once approval fro the placing authority has been received in writing. The Designated Manager (Transfers) can give approval for a move of placement in the event of an emergency but must discuss this with the placing authority at the earliest opportunity on the next working day.

Any decision to terminate a young person's placement and request that s/he be discharged and moved to a home outside our care must be approved by Designated Manager (Transfers).

Normally, young people 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 young person to move immediately, from one home to another. In such circumstances, the Existing Manager must consult the social worker but the final decision will rest with the Designated Manager (Transfers).

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 Manager and take all reasonable steps to ensure the young person's transfer or discharge is managed sensitively.

The young person and Parents should be consulted and kept informed of all key decisions and arrangements in relation to any transfer or discharge. If possible, the young person and parents should undertake visits to the new Home/Placement 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 young person moves:

• The social worker;
• Parents or those with Parental Responsibility;
• The young person;
• The New Manager;
• 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 young person's Care Plan - the social worker is responsible for this record;
• Where appropriate, the young person's Pathway Plan - the social worker or Personal Adviser is responsible for this plan;
• The young person's Personal Education Plan (PEP), any recent Individual Education Plan (IEP) or, where appropriate, the young person's Education, Health and Care Plan for 0-25 years - the social worker should obtain these plans/reports;
• Details, plans or arrangements relating to the young person's Health Care Assessment.

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

1. The young person's Placement Plan - the New Home Manager is responsible for this but the Existing Home 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 Manager must produce an End of Placement report within 3 days of the child's discharge.
   No contact may be permitted between the young person and his/her parents, relatives or friends unless agreed with the social worker and set out in the young person's Placement Plan;
2. The Existing Home Manager should ensure that the young person's file is brought up to date, collated, tidied then passed to the New Home Manager;
3. If it appears necessary, the New Home Manager should arrange a Planning Meeting, preferably before the move/transfer but within 7 days. See Placement Planning and Disruption Meetings Procedure;
4. If there is a risk that the young person may abscond, become missing or may absent him/herself without authority, the New Home Manager should arrange for a Risk Assessment regarding the safe management of absconsion to be completed;
5. The New Manager should liaise with the social worker to ensure arrangements are in place for the young person 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 Manager to obtain information/arrangements for any medication or other healthcare arrangements;
6. The New Home Manager should check to ensure that the young person 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 young person is provided with:
   • A copy of the Our 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 placements, the Existing Home Manager should ensure the following arrangements are made:

1. That the young person takes all his/her clothing and personal belongings or those arrangements are made for them to be passed to the New Home Manager. The Existing Home Manager must ensure that the young person's belongings/clothing are packed in a luggage case or other appropriate packaging;
   Where children have been with our care for an extended period, memento albums and photographs and moments about the home should be prepared for them so they have a record of their period of life at the home;
2. If the young person is discharged from our care, the Existing Home Manager must ensure that the young person's file is brought up to date, collated, tidied and archived;
3. The Existing and New Home Manager must ensure that the Designated Manager (Transfers) and others listed in Section 3, Notifications are notified of the transfer/discharge.

The New Home Manager should liaise with the social worker to ensure that notifications of the placement 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 young person's parents and significant relatives or friends, and should liaise with the New Home Manager to arrange contact with the young person. NOTE: No contact may be permitted between the young person and his/her parents, relatives or friends unless agreed with the social worker and set out in the young person's Placement Plan.

Any arrangements for aftercare or contact between our Care staff and the young person or his/her parents/family must be agreed with the social worker and set out in the young person's Placement Plan.