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Contents

1. Care Planning Meetings
2. Permanence Planning
3. Approval of Permanence Plans

1. Care Planning Meetings

Care Planning Meetings will be held between every 4-8 weeks for all children looked after.  Whilst it is not always possible, the first Care Planning Meeting will be held before the child becomes looked after and if this is not possible within 5 working days of becoming looked after– see Decision to Look After and Post Placement Arrangements Procedure.

Care Planning Meetings will be convened by the child’s social worker and where it is appropriate chaired by his or her Team Manager or Senior Practitioner. However it is expected that as a minimum this would be the first care planning meeting and the one immediate prior to a Child Looked After Review Meeting. The child, parents and all key professionals involved with the child should be invited.

2. Permanence Planning

2.1 The Knowsley Definition of Permanence

For the purposes of operational arrangements within the Fostering and Adoption Team and the Fieldwork Teams, the term “Permanence” is used to apply to any child for whom the planned legal outcome is adoption, a Residence Order or Special Guardianship.

However, any looked after child for whom the planned outcome is permanent fostering or a placement in a residential home must still have a Permanence Plan.

2.2 The Permanence Planning Process

Where a child is likely to be looked after for a period beyond the date of the first Looked After Review, the Permanence Planning process should commence, including Twin Track Planning, and should be considered at Care Planning Meetings.

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. 

3. Approval of Permanence Plans

3.1 Routes to Permanence for Children Looked After.

Different approval processes will be applicable depending on the intended plan – see sections below.

With regard to the advantages and disadvantages of the available options, see also the Permanence Planning for Children Looked After Guidance.

3.2 Role of Looked After Review

All Permanence Plans will be subject to scrutiny at the child’s Looked After Reviews.

If it is considered that the chosen route to permanence is not viable, the Independent Reviewing Officer should ensure that a Care Planning Meeting is convened as a matter of urgency to consider the most appropriate permanent alternative.

See Looked After Reviews Procedure for the role of the Review in achieving permanence for the child.

Where the child’s Permanence Plan is for adoption, Special Guardianship, the plan should also be submitted to the Adoption and Permanence Panel for approval (see Section 3.4 below). With regard to Residence Orders these should be submitted to the Fostering Panel for approval.

In all other cases, for example where the child is to remain in long term fostering or in a residential home, the Permanence Plan should be agreed by a Service Manager and ratified at the child’s Looked After Review. Additional approvals may also still be required – in relation to long term fostering, see Section 3.3 below.

3.3 Additional Approval for Permanence Fostering

Where a placement with a foster carer is to become permanent, the category of approval of the foster carer will need to change to permanent and this will require consideration by the Fostering Panel. 

The reports to be presented to the Panel are:

1. The original BAAF Form F - where the foster carer is a relative or friend, this will be BAAF Form F2 – or if the original assessment was not done on a BAAF Form F2, a new BAAF Form F2 will be required;
2. A medical report; and
3. The most recent Foster Care Review Report

3.4 Approval of Adoption and Permanence Panel

For adoption, see Placement for Adoption Procedure

For Special Guardianship, see Special Guardianship Procedure.

For Residence Orders, the following reports will be required for presentation to the Fostering Panel: 

1. A report covering the child’s circumstances with the Care Plan attached to be prepared by the child’s social worker
2. Matching Report to be prepared by the child’s social worker and the carers’ Supervising Social Worker
3. The carers’ original BAAF Form F provided by the carers’ link worker
4. The most recent Foster Carer Review Report provided by the carers’ Supervising Social Worker

Both the child’s social worker and the carers’ link worker should attend the Panel when the reports are considered.

The Panel’s recommendations will be referred to the Agency Decision Maker who makes a decision. The social workers are notified of the outcome within one week of the Panel. In Knowsley, the agency decision maker is the Children's Services Manager.

Once a Residence Order is granted (and the Care Order is automatically discharged), the child’s social worker needs to ensure that the information is recorded on ICS and arrangements are made for the Foster Carer's allowance to be stopped.

The carer’s status as on the Register of Foster Carers will also be changed by their Supervising Social Worker if they have ceased fostering.

End