Placement planning for every child who is becoming Looked After or who is already Looked After must include consideration of the risks and vulnerabilities associated with going missing (and other vulnerabilities and risks such as Child Sexual Exploitation, trafficking, forced marriage, honour based violence, female genital mutilation. Where applicable reference should be made to the relevant West Yorkshire Consortium and Children’s Social Work online procedures.) An agreement must be reached with all those concerned with the child’s care, of how the placement is expected to respond to any incidences of ‘missing’ and ‘away from placement without authorisation’.
The child’s social worker has responsibility for ensuring that an initial assessment of risk is completed when a child is accommodated. This should include an assessment of the level of risk of the geographical area in which the child is to be placed, particularly where the placement is outside of the local area. Where appropriate this can be completed by the children's home or fostering service practitioners on behalf of the child’s Social Worker.
Where a Child Looked After is placed in the area of another local authority (regardless of the type of placement), the Arrangements for Placement of Children (General) Regulations 1991 (Regulation 5) requires that notification is made by the placing authority to the local authority's children's social care service where the child is living. (The education service and the relevant health trust for the area in which the Child Looked After is placed must also be notified.) The notification will include the address where the child is placed.
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 Home of any child.
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 placing authority; and
- The child’s Independent Reviewing Officer;
- Whether the child has an Education, Health and Care Plan, if so, details of the local authority which maintains the Plan.
If the Child being placed is known to be vulnerable to exploitation and may be at risk of ‘running away’ ‘going missing’ then it is expected that at the placement planning meeting a Risk and Vulnerability plan will be developed and shared with the Placement Provider and Missing Coordinator at Leeds Integrated Safeguarding Unit.
The Return Interview Service in Leeds, if required will undertake Return Interviews on behalf of the home authority and share the Return Interviews with the home authority upon completion. For any additional requirements or further information please contact: Shaun.Macklin@leeds.gov.uk
Child looked after placed in Leeds