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Contents

1. Who Must Have a Care Plan
2. Who is Responsible for the Plan
3. Timescales for Completion
4. Approval of the Plan
5. Consultation
6. Purpose
7. Review
8. Contents
9. Circulation

1. Who Must Have a Care Plan

Every Looked After child must have a Care Plan. The Looking After Children (LAC) Care Plan Record is usually suitable for this purpose. For Care Plans filed in Care Proceedings, see also Care Proceedings Procedure.

If the LAC record is not sufficient to cover all the aspects outlined in this guidance, it is acceptable to attach or cross-refer to additional information/documents.

2. Who is Responsible for the Plan

The Care Plan must be completed and updated by the child’s social worker.

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.  See Decision to Look After and Care Planning 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.

If satisfied, the manager can then approve that the Care Plan is drawn up within 10 working days of the placement. 

The Care Plan can be updated by the social worker, with the manager’s approval, at any time. 

The Care Plan is then subject to scrutiny at each Looked After Review.  It should be updated after each Review but if there are no substantial changes, the Care Plan can be updated by attaching to it the Review minutes.

4. Approval of the Plan

A Final Care Plan taken before the Court in Care Proceedings must be endorsed and signed by a Designated Manager (Care Plans).

All other Care Plans must be endorsed and signed the social worker and team manager.

5. Consultation

The social worker is responsible for drawing up and updating the Care Plan in consultation with:

1. The child;
2. The child’s parents;
3. Anyone who is not a parent but has been caring for or looking after the child;
4. Other members of the child’s family network who are significant to the child;
5. The child’s school or education authority;
6. The relevant health trust;
7. The Youth Offending Service, if the child is known to them;
8. Any other agency involved with the child’s care;
9. The child's Independent Reviewing Officer.

6. Purpose

The purpose of the plan is to safeguard and promote the interests of the child, prevent drift and focus work on achieving Permanence for the child. One of the key functions of the Care Plan is to ensure that each child has a Permanence Plan by the time of the second Looked After Review.

Before a Court grants a Care Order it must be satisfied that a suitable Care Plan has been drawn up.  A Final Care Plan presented to the Court must be endorsed and signed by a Designated Manager (Care Plans).

7. Review

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

The Care Plan must be regularly reviewed at Looked After Reviews.  However, it is the responsibility of the social worker and his/her manager to make decisions and amendments in relation to the Care Plan.

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 – see Permanence Planning for Children Procedure and also Long Term Plans for Children Looked After and Referrals to the Oxfordshire Adoption and Permanency Panel and the Fostering Panel Procedure.

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.

8. Contents

The child's overarching Care Plan should include:

• Placement Plan (setting out why the placement was chosen and how the placement will contribute to meeting the child's needs);
• Permanence Plan (long-term plans for the child's upbringing including timescales);
• Pathway Plan (where appropriate, for young people leaving care);
• Health Plan;
• Personal Education Plan.

The information contained in the Care Plan must cover the following areas:

1. The overall aims and timescales for achieving Permanence (to be included by the second Looked After Review at the latest):
   1. The objectives of the plan, phrased in terms of how permanence will be achieved for the child;
   2. How these objectives will be met including the proposed legal status of the child, the proposed placement and the proposed relationship with the carers;
   3. Time-scales for achieving the plan;
   4. Details of any direct work to be carried out with the child preparing them for permanence;
   5. Details of any future contact with family members, direct or indirect, where the plan is for an alternative permanent placement;
   6. The criteria that will be used to evaluate the success of the plan;
   7. Any Contingency Plans to avoid delay in securing an alternative permanent placement for the child in the event that the plan of first choice becomes unworkable (to be included by the third Looked After review at the latest)
   8. The name of the Independent Reviewing Officer.
2. The child’s needs and wishes
   
   It should include the arrangements made to meet the child's needs in relation to:
   1. Emotional and behavioural development;
   2. The child's identity in relation to religious persuasion, racial origin and cultural and linguistic background;
   3. Family and social relationships: arrangements for contact with sibling(s) accommodated by the authority or another local authority; details of any Section 8 Order in relation to a Looked After child; details of any order in relation to contact with a child in care; arrangements for contact with  parents/anyone with Parental Responsibility/any other Connected Person; arrangements for the appointment of an Independent Visitor for a Looked After child;
   4. Social presentation;
   5. Self-care skills.
3. Views of others:
   1. The extent to which the wishes and feelings of the parents and others have been obtained and acted upon, together with reasons including explanations of why their wishes and views have been discounted.
4. Placement details and timetable:
   1. Proposed placement (type and details);
   2. Likely duration of the placement;
   3. Support in the placement;
   4. Other services to be provided to the child and/or family by the local authority or other agencies;
   5. Specific detail of the parent’s role in the day to day arrangements;
   6. Arrangements for health care and education.
5. Management and support by local authority:
   1. Those responsible for implementing the plan and the respective roles of others;
   2. Arrangements for input by the child, parent and others in the decision-making process;
   3. Arrangements for notifying the local authority of disagreements or for making representations;
   4. Dates of review;
   5. Contingency Plan if the placement breaks down.

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;
• The Child's Independent Reviewing Officer.

End