Notifications from Other Local Authorities/Placing Providers

1. Introduction

It is a requirement within the Arrangements for Placement of Children (General Regulations 1991 in Regulations 10 and 12 that when one Local Authority (home Authority) places a child which it is looking after within another Local Authority (host Authority) it notifies that Authority of the placement and provides required information (see Appendix 1: Process of Notifications of Children Placed within Swindon by other Local Authorities and Appendix 2: Notification of Placement of Looked After Child in Swindon by another Local Authority).

The primary purpose of this requirement is to enable the host Local Authority to be able to maintain a database of all looked after children resident within its area. The database is maintained by the Quality Assurance and Review Team should include:

• Those children looked after by another Local Authority, but where there has been agreement that it will carry out some functions;
• Those children who are looked after by another Local Authority and where the other Local Authority continues to carry out all functions.

Under the Children's Homes and Looked after Children (Miscellaneous Amendments) (England) Regulations 2013, the manager of a children's home must notify, without delay, the area Local Authority (if different from the placing Authority) of the admission to / discharge from the Children's Home of any child or young person.

The notification must state:

• The child's name and date of birth;
• Whether the child is Accommodated under Section 20 or subject to a Care Order or Supervision Order;
• The contact details for:
  • The child's home Authority; and
  • The child's Independent Reviewing Officer.
• Whether the child has an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

Amendments to the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010 created new requirements for Local Authorities making distant placements to check that local universal and specialist services are available to meet the assessed needs of the child to be placed. Any Local Authority considering a placement within Swindon should access the Swindon Local Offer.

2. Procedure

Notifications of placements made, or to be made, within Swindon Borough Council

1. Local Authority sends a notification to the Quality Assurance & Review Team using the following email address: SwindonPlacementNotifications@swindon.gov.uk;
2. The Quality Assurance & Review Team, receiving LA notification enters data and sends acknowledgement email / letter to home Authority;
3. The database must include the following information:
   • The name, gender, ethnicity and date of birth of the child;
   • The name and address of the person with whom the child is placed and, if different, the name and address of child's parents and all those with Parental Responsibility;
   • The name of the placing Authority (home Authority);
   • Whether the child is subject to a child protection plan;
   • Whether the child has a disability;
   • Whether the child is involved in or at risk of sexual or criminal exploitation;
   • The date on which the placement was made and where appropriate the date the placement ended including the reason for it ending;
   • The child's legal status;
   • Information regarding any potential risks and hazards which are known;
   • Who the Home Local Authority has consulted with in Swindon Borough Council in relation to appropriate services being available.
4. On receipt of a completed notification form from a placing Authority the Quality Assurance and Review Team will ensure that all relevant details are obtained as described above and are placed on ICS within two working days of the receiving the fully completed notification form. N.B. If the required information is not fully received then the form will be returned to the placing provider;
5. The Quality Assurance & Review Team will confirm that the placing Authority has accessed the Local Offer of support services available to children on the ADCS website;
6. This information is available to all Authorities expressing either an intention or have placed a Looked After Child within Swindon and informed all necessary agencies with Swindon about the placement;
7. The Quality Assurance & Review Team will ensure that the notification form is copied to services in Swindon - the Virtual School, the Children Looked After Health Team,Youth Justice Service, MASH police and SEND;
8. If the Virtual School, the Children Looked After Health Team, MASH police or SEND receive notification that a looked after child has been placed in Swindon by another Local Authority then they will forward the notification on to SwindonPlacementNotifications@swindon.gov.uk to ensure that the child's details are recorded correctly on ICS;
9. If a Police notification form (PPD1) regarding a looked after child placed in Swindon is received within the Multi-agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) then this should be notified to SwindonPlacementNotifications@swindon.gov.uk immediately so that the Quality Assurance & Review Team can cross reference the database to ensure notification had previously been received and logged;
10. If a notification has not been previously received, the Quality Assurance & Review Team will contact the placing provider to request completion of the form immediately;
11. The Quality Assurance & Review Team will report on all children placed within Swindon quarterly through the Performance and Quality Assurance Board;
12. An annual audit will be undertaken by contacting all LA's to ensure that the database is accurate. This will be undertaken within the Quality Assurance & Review Team and will be part of the Children Families and Community Health audit programme;
13. Where arrangements have been made for Swindon Borough Council, Children, Families and Community Health to undertake the duties of placing / home Authority, what those arrangements are and the name of the person within the home and host Authority with whom they were agreed should be clearly recorded on the child's file.

Appendices

Appendix 1: Process of Notifications of Children Placed within Swindon by other Local Authorities

Appendix 2: Notification of Placement of Looked After Child in Swindon by another Local Authority