Transcript Staying Put

‘Other Arrangements and Suitable
Accommodation’ – Placements for
Children Looked After Aged 16 & 17 (Outside the Care Standards Act 2000)
Developing a Regional Template and
Framework
Helle Penson, Hayley Mahon and John Short
2nd July 2013
My Background
• 25 Years Working in Social Care and Housing
• Department for Education – 2010 Regulations and
Guidance, Training Materials and “Staying Put”
Guidance
• Leaving Care, Children Looked After, Fostering,
UASC, Disabilities, SEND and Transitions –
Policy and Service Development and Training
• Supported Accommodation, Supported Lodgings,
Housing and Vulnerable/Homeless Young People
• Preparation for Independence Materials
• Fostering Policies – Finance – Tax and Benefits
Agenda
• Children’s Cross Regional Arrangements Group –
(CCRAG)
• Semi-independent Placement Issues 16 & 17 year
Olds – Background
• ‘Other Arrangements and Suitable Accommodation’
Placement Requirements From April 2010
• Development and Commissioning Issues
• Regional and National Approaches
• ‘Staying Put’
CCRAG
Independent Non-Maintained Special Schools and Children’s Residential Care Homes
• 35 member local authorities across the East, South East
and South West regions.
• Provides tools and a joined up consistent processes to
efficiently;
– Monitor contractual compliance (Form B)
– Monitor the services provided – (Form C)
• Gather and share information on fee uplift requests
(exceptional fees procedures).
• Sharing concerns (information sharing protocol)
• Source placements and share monitoring information
(database)
– Other Arrangements and Suitable Accommodation
– Staying Put
Background
• Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000
• Major increase in the use of, and spend on
private accommodation and support providers
since 2001
• Variability - quality and cost
• Outcomes, standards, integration with care
planning, limited expectation of providers
• Broad range of provision - shared
accommodation, flats, floating support
• Vulnerability, risk, levels of need and monitoring
Context
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2.
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3.
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Children and Young Persons Act 2008
Care Planning, Placement and Case Review
Regulations and Guidance 2010 – Volume 2
‘Other Arrangements’
Planning Transition to Adulthood for Care Leavers
Regulations and Guidance 2010 – Volume 3
‘Suitable Accommodation’
Separation of ceasing to be looked after from a
placement in semi-independent accommodation
Most young people should remain looked after until
their 18th birthday
Department for Education –
Frameworks - 1
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From April 2011 each local authority is required to
have an – ‘Other Arrangements and Suitable
Accommodation’ framework
Placements outside the Care Standards Act 2000 and
therefore not inspected by Ofsted
Decision making regarding who is placed in ‘Other
Arrangements’ – levels of need and vulnerability
Needs of the young person – (including suitability of
location)
Suitability of the landlord/provider
Health and safety of the property
Statutory review and endorsement of the Independent
Reviewing Officer prior to a move
Other Arrangements and Suitable
Accommodation
• Care Planning, Placement and Case Review
Regulations and Guidance 2010 – Volume 2
– Chapter 3 - Page 60 to 66 - Section 3.101 to 3.127 –
Regulation 27 and Schedule 6
• Planning Transition to Adulthood for Care Leavers
Regulations and Guidance 2010 – Volume 3
– Chapter 7 – Page 49 to 51 – Section – 7.12 to 7.18 –
Regulation 9 and Schedule 2
Accommodation Pathways
1. Decision to place in ‘Other Arrangements’ – social
worker and independent reviewing officer
2. Requirements of the provider – standards, policies,
practise, monitoring and review – placements team
and commissioning?
3. Meeting the needs of young people – expectations
of providers in relation to individual young people –
inspection and audit – social workers –placements
team and commissioning?
4. Property standards
 Tasks, processes, milestones, review and reporting
Issues - 1
• Often a last resort rather than stepping stone to
independence
• Full assessments - matching young people’s needs to
provider skills and to other young people – (‘out of
area’ young people)
• Shared responsibility – Pathway Plans, Placement
Plans, Health Plans, Personal Education Plans
• Rigorous staff recruitment, supervision, staff
development and training
• Chronologies – life story work/transitions to
adulthood, patterns of behaviour and group behaviour
– matching and risk
Issues - 2
• Fit for purpose policies and guidance –
provider and local authority
• Preparation for independence work - targets
and objectives - outcomes
• Multi-agency/partnership working, roles and
responsibilities, reviews - communications,
accountability – case ownership
• Sharing intelligence, evaluating and reassessing risk – reviews of providers
• Sexual exploitation and ‘missing’ children
Accommodation and Support Providers
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2.
Private Providers
Asylum Accommodation Providers
Registered Providers (Registered Social Landlords)
Accommodation only (independent and shared)
Shared supported accommodation (visiting support
to 24 hour on-site support)
3. Support only
Emergency access supported accommodation
Decision Making – Young People
• Process for assessing suitability of an ‘Other
Arrangements’ placement
• Roles and responsibilities
– Social Worker/Leaving Care Personal Adviser
– Independent Reviewing Officer
– Placement Team
– Commissioning Person/Team
• Resource approval (panel process, manager)
• Suitability of the overall arrangement
• Referral and matching of young person
Health and Safety - Property
• Environment Health Service/Private Sector Housing
Service - requirements
• Standard landlord and tenancy requirements
• Houses in Multiple Occupation requirements –
licensed and un-licensed
• Fire and rescue service inspections
• Gas and Electric Certificates
• Insurance – buildings - landlord
• Portable Appliance Testing
• Fire alarms, heat, smoke, carbon monoxide detectors
Suitability of the Landlord or Provider
Organisation
• DBS checks (Directors, staff etc)
• Recruitment procedures and verified
references
• Financial viability
• Insurance levels
– Employers liability
– Public liability
– Professional indemnity
• People with access to the property
Provider Policy Framework - 1
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Confidentiality, information and data
Safer caring and boundaries
Missing policies and check-in procedures
Case files, case recording and reports
Preparation for independence and promoting
good outcomes
• Partnerships - roles and responsibilities
• Managing risk and behaviour – identification
of risks and planning
Provider Policy Framework - 2
• Visitor policy – peers, guests and family
• Other authority young people – consistent
definition of level of need
• Registered social landlords
– Young people aged 16 to 24 (children and
adults)
• Concerns and complaints – inspecting
providers
– Two tier councils/local district council
– Area authority where placed
– Police, health – key partners
Existing Commissioning
Arrangements
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Pan London
North West Framework
CCRAG - Form A, B, C
Individual Local Authority Contracts and
Service Specifications – Enfield, Essex,
Hertfordshire
• Supporting People – Quality Assessment
Framework (QAF)
• Department for Education issues – Children’s
Home or Supported Accommodation (Annex
B)
Outcome
• To produce a comprehensive template service specification and inspection framework
• Available to all CCRAG members (other local
authorities)
• Can be localised to fit different local authority
priorities - sections can be amended, added or
deleted
• Consistency
• Wherever possible - avoid each authority
undertaking the same checks
Questions
Discussion
Workshop
1. What are the tensions and challenges
in your local authority regarding the use
of semi-independent accommodation
providers?
2. What framework do you have or use in
your local authority to oversee ‘Other
Arrangements’?