Protocol for Reviewing Children who have been Placed by Health and Education Authorities
Scope of this chapter
The purpose of this procedure is to ensure that the welfare of children and young people who are provided with accommodation by health or education or in any residential care home, nursing home or mental nursing home is being adequately safeguarded and promoted.
Sections 85 and 86 of the Children Act 1989 require that children should not be placed in schools, hospital facilities and nursing homes for more than three months without the local authority’s Children’s Services Department being notified so that they can assess whether any form of intervention to promote or safeguard the child’s welfare is necessary.
NB School holidays are not counted within the three months which means that children in boarding schools during term time only will not usually be subject to this procedure.
Children who go home for weekends, e.g. from mental health establishments, are also excluded from the procedure.
The accommodating authority or the person managing the establishment/ hospital must notify Hillingdon Education and Children’s Services if a child whose previous residence was in the Hillingdon area has been provided with accommodation for a period of more than three months.
The accommodating authority must also notify Hillingdon Education and Children’s Services when the child ceases to be Accommodated.
Notifications should be sent to the Service Manager, Safeguarding Children and Quality Assurance at the Civic Centre Uxbridge UB8 1UW
Notifications should be provided on the interagency referral form which should contain relevant details of the child’s health and development, family circumstances and reason for admission and accommodation.
Those with Parental Responsibility and the child if of sufficient age and understanding must be informed by the referrer that the notification has been made.
Where notifications are received by Children and Families Teams, they should be forwarded to the Safeguarding Children and Quality Assurance Service for action.
Carefirst must be updated with details of the notification.
Within 14 days of notification the Safeguarding Children and Quality Assurance Service will conduct a review of available information.
The review must consider contact arrangements made for the child.
The review must consider making direct contact with persons with Parental Responsibility to ensure that contact arrangements are suitable and that arrangements are in place to safeguard and promote the child’s welfare.
Where there are concerns about contact or about the welfare of the child the reviewing officer will visit the child within 14 days of the concerns arising.
Having established the circumstances of the case, the reviewing officer will decide if any action is necessary to promote or safeguard the child’s welfare.
The reviewing officer will write a brief report outlining their findings and recommendations; a copy will be provided to the referrer, those with Parental Responsibility and the child.
A copy of all relevant information will be forwarded to the appropriate area team for storage.
When acting under Section 86(c), reviewing officers have powers to enter residential care homes (but not educational or nursing establishments) within the borough to establish whether the requirements are being complied with.
Last Updated: January 9, 2024
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