Referral information is assessed by a panel of professionals from social care, health and education. Careful consideration is given to the individual needs of the child or young person, whether our services can meet the identified needs and whether or not the young person would be suitably matched with the other young people already residing with us. An initial impact and compatibility assessment is undertaken at the point-of-referral, and additional information is sought when required to make a sound decision.
Where possible, we seek to arrange introductory visits to the home or foster carer for the young person and relevant adults ahead of placement. Additionally, we seek to hold a pre-placement meeting with relevant professionals and stakeholders to ensure:
Once a placement has commenced, a placement planning meeting is held within the statutory timescales and an initial placement plan is published in consultation with the allocated social worker
We understand the time pressures often experienced by placement officers and endeavour to ensure our communication throughout the referral process is as efficient as possible, whilst striving to avoid any unnecessary delays in respect of information sharing or decision making processes.
Whilst it is preferable to make planned placements that include impact assessments and introductory visits, it is acknowledged that care placements are often required at short notice. Consequently, we are happy to consider emergency referrals when the need arises and our availability allows. We provide an emergency 24/7 referral service and endeavour to confirm whether or not a placement can be offered within 30 minutes of the initial call.
Please note: Out-of-hours emergency referrals can only be made by telephone as emails are not continually monitored during evenings or weekends. Please see contact numbers above for our out-of-hours service.
When an emergency placement is made, an initial review meeting will be required within 72 hours to ensure the placement is appropriate for the child or young person and to discuss and agree longer term arrangements.
Dedicated placement professionals are available to discuss potential placement options for children or young people requiring residential care, foster care or specialist education.
We consider the development of professional relationships with local authority commissioners and placement officers to be an essential element of our continued success; consequently, we strive to provide a friendly, profesional and efficient service at all times.
Our placements team welcome the opportunity to facilitate visits to any of our individual residential, fostering or education services, or plan an itinerary that encompasses a range of services into a half or full day.
Alternatively, we would be pleased to visit any UK location to discuss our services in greater detail and explore possible partnership agreements with local authorities seeking bespoke, effective care packages whilst maintaining exceptional value for money.
For further information, please call us on 01843 823762 or email us directly from here.
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