Placement Planning and Disruption Meetings

The purpose of Placement Planning Meetings is to ensure that children's Placement Plan(which is recorded on the Placement Information Records) 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.

Placement Planning Meetings should be held at the following intervals:

1. Within seven working days of the child's placement if a Placement Plan was not completed prior to the placement, sufficient to sustain the child until the first Looked After Review;
2. As part of all Looked After Reviews or, if this is not possible, a Placement Plan Review should be conducted as soon as possible after each Looked After Review;
3. After serious Incidents or in the light of significant changes in the child's circumstances which suggest that it is necessary to review the arrangements set out in the Placement Plan;
4. At other times agreed between the social worker and provider/carer;
5. Where the Statement of Purpose for a home determine that such reviews should occur.

Meetings will be arranged and chaired by the home's manager or Supervising Social Worker.

Meetings should be conducted in the form of a meeting but may be conducted over the telephone, if there is agreement between the Manager/ Social Worker.

The people listed below should contribute to the meetings (if the child has been placed on an emergency basis, it may not be possible to notify/invite all those listed. However, it is essential that the following people are invited/contribute and have their views represented):

The child's social worker and/or other professional associated with the child e.g. Personal Advisor or Advocate

1. The child;
2. The child's parents;
3. The child's Keyworker/carer(s), and/or Home Manager;
4. The Child’s Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO);
5. Other significant people/agencies.

If any of these people cannot attend it does not preclude the meeting from occurring, if the manager/chair agree: in which case, the manager/chair obtain their views.

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

• The child's Placement Plan (recorded on the Placement Information Record);
• 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 the following:

• The 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 amended as appropriate;
• That the child’s Placement Plan is updated if appropriate, and new or updated copies are circulated to those who were invited or contributed.

This does not mean that amendments to Placement Plans may only be made at Planning Meetings. When Placement Plan 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 Social Worker. See Advocacy, Independent Visitors and Independent Reviewing Officers Procedure.

If there are concerns about the suitability of the placement, consideration should be given to the following:

• Whether it is possible to sustain the placement until the next Looked After Review by, for example, providing additional support to the placement;
• Bringing forward the date of the next Looked After Review;
• Ending the placement.

The Chairperson must ensure the following is recorded at the end of the Placement Planning Meeting:

• The updating or amendment of the child's Placement Plan;
• Additional minutes of any discussions and decisions made at the Placement Planning Meeting.

Copies of these records should be circulated to those who attended or were invited to contribute.

Where the chairperson is concerned about delay in implementation of aspects of the Placement Plan, he or she should progress chase those responsible and, if necessary, take matters up with relevant managers.

Where the chairperson is concerned that recommendations or agreements have not been incorporated into the child's plan, he or she may take this up with the relevant person/manager and/or consider whether to reconvene the Placement Plan Meeting.

Disruption Meetings should be convened in relation to children whose placement has ended abruptly or on an unplanned basis. Strenuous efforts must be made to seek to resolve the unplanned endings of placements for children. An emergency placement planning meeting should always be held where there are fears that a placement is at risk of disruption.

Where a placement breaks down or ends on an unplanned basis, the manager of the home must convene a Disruption Meeting within 5 working days.

The manager of the home or an independent manager should convene and chair the meeting. Those invited, or asked to contribute, should be:

1. The social worker;
2. The Keyworker or carer(s);
3. The parents and child;
4. Other relevant staff/professionals;
5. The child’s Independent Reviewing Officer.

The precise agenda will depend on the child/circumstances, but the manager/chair should ensure the circumstances leading to the disruption are properly reviewed, and that all concerned are provided with opportunities to express their views freely with a view to establishing:

• How and why the disruption occurred;
• To learn from what happened and avoid the same thing happening again - for the child or others in the home;
• To contribute to the future planning for the child;
• To identify work to be done and to ensure it is completed.

The manager should keep minutes, which must be circulated to all concerned.