Social Worker Visits to Looked After Children

1. Principles

Visiting children looked after is central to our vision that all children are:

• Safe: a chance to listen to the child and make sure that they feel safe and check that where the child lives is suitable for their needs and meets the standards required by Slough Children First;
• Secure: an opportunity to build the relationship between the child and their social worker; to observe the relationship between the child and the carer, and other people they live with, in the place where they live; and to talk to the child about their contact with family and friends;
• Successful:  an opportunity to talk to the child about their hopes and aspirations for the future; their worries about growing up and support them to understand their past.

All visits to children looked after must promote Slough Children First's values:

• Professional: visits should be focused on the child and their needs and use communication methods and language appropriate to the child's abilities and understanding;
• Respectful: keeping appointments, being on time and completing actions agreed with the young person helps to build trust;
• Resourceful: professionals should make use of direct work tools and professional skills to get to know the child and their world, and support them to make their voice heard;
• Reflective: visits can be rushed, emotional or driven by events – professionals should take the time to reflect on what they have seen and heard, and what the child communicated through words and behaviour, and discuss these in supervision.

2. Normal Frequency

It is expected that when a Looked After Child is placed they should be accompanied by the social worker to the placement. Following this the child's social worker must visit the child in the placement at the following intervals, subject to the exceptions in Section 2, Exceptions:

• Within one week of the start of any placement;
• Then at intervals of not more than six weeks during the first year of the placement;
• Thereafter, at intervals of not more than six weeks (or 3 months if the placement is intended to last until the child is 18);
• Where a child is in a designated long-term foster placement, visits after the first year may take place at intervals of not more than six months. The child should be of sufficient age and understanding, and has agreed to be visited at this minimum frequency. This needs to be agreed in the CLA Review.

N.B. These are minimum requirements and the Looked After Review may recommend more frequent visits. The frequency of visits should always be determined by the circumstances of the case and visits should be made whenever reasonably requested by the child or foster carer regardless of the status of the placement.

In addition, the child's social worker should visit:

• Whenever reasonably requested to do so by the child;
• Whenever a problem arises, including if the child misses school or is at risk of exclusion, if the child has gone missing or needs medical attention;
• The social worker should visit within 5 working days of the missing incident in order to understand the reasons for going missing, and demonstrate the young person that they are concerned for their welfare. If there are repeat missing episodes, the frequency should be agreed with the Manager in accordance with the needs of the child and associated risks;
• Immediately a complaint is received from the child or from another person relating to the child concerning the standard of care they are receiving; or
• If there is any proposal to remove the child from placement where concerns have been raised about his/her welfare.

This applies to all new placements where, for example, a child moves from one placement to another. For children who are placed for adoption, see Monitoring and Supervision of Adoptive Placements Procedure.

Some visits should be unannounced. (The foster carers, parent or residential unit should be informed by the child's social worker at the time of placing that there will be occasional unannounced visits and the reason for this explained).

Meetings involving a child e.g. Looked After Reviews, do not in themselves constitute a visit, unless time is taken outside of the meeting to talk with and spend time with the child and this is clearly recorded.

Visits by the carer's supervising social worker also do not constitute a visit to the child. The child's social worker and the carers social worker should agree a schedule of visits that is respectful of the carer's time.

The child's social worker should on occasion take the child out from the placement (for example for a snack or a visit to a park) as this can strengthen the relationship between the child and the social worker and is also in the interests of child protection in that the child may feel more able to discuss issues that are of concern to him/her. 

3. Exceptions

3.1 Children Placed with Parents

If the child is placed with parents pending assessment, social work visits must take place at least once a week until the first Looked After Review, thereafter at intervals agreed in the review but, as a minimum, four weekly until the carer is approved under the Regulations.

If the child is living with the parents under an Interim Care Order, visits must take place at least once a week until the first Looked After Review, thereafter at intervals agreed in the review but, as a minimum, four weekly until the parent is approved or the final hearing in care proceedings.

If the child is placed with parents under a Care Order, within one week of the Care Order, thereafter at intervals of not more than 6 weeks. Visits with parents should also take place every 3 months – in which the social worker meets with the parents alone to support them with caring for the child.

See Placements with Parents Procedure and Ceasing to be Looked After Procedure.

3.2 Children Placed with Connected Persons

If the child is placed with a Connected Person with temporary approval, visits must take place at least once a week until the first Looked After Review, thereafter at intervals agreed in the review but, as a minimum, four weekly until the carer is approved under the 2002 Regulations or the final hearing has been completed in care proceedings.

See: Placements with Connected Persons Procedure.

3.3 Children Placed in a Young Offenders' Institution or Health Care Setting (etc.)

If the child is in the care of Slough Children First but another person/organisation is responsible for the child's living arrangements (for example where a child is placed in a Young Offenders' Institution or a health care setting), within a week of the start/any change of living arrangements, at intervals of not more than 4 weeks for the first year; at intervals of not more than 6 weeks in any subsequent year.

3.4 Notice of Concern by the Registration Authority

Where a Registration Authority notifies Slough Children First in respect of a children's home, a fostering agency, a voluntary adoption agency, or adoption support agency, that the Registered Manager:

• Has had their Registration withdrawn, suspended or notice of this extended;
• Has proceedings brought against them by the Registration Authority for an offence which it alleges has been committed in respect of the establishment or agency;
• Has had notice served upon them by the Registration Authority to ensure no child is further accommodated (excepting a child that is already accommodated or continues to be accommodated);
• Has served a Penalty Notice for allegations in respect of an alleged offence which the Registered Manager has then paid;

then a visit must also be made within one week of receiving a notification made under section 30A of the Care Standards Act 2000.

The social worker must:

• See the child alone;
• Review the adequacy of the provider's action plan;
• Consider if any further steps need to be taken to safeguard the child;
• Consider if a different placement should be found;
• Notify the Placement team of their findings on the visit.

(See Reg 28 (7)(b), The Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010)

4. Who and What Should be Seen?

It is important to be clear that the exceptions set out in section 2 above apply only to the placement. Whatever the placement arrangements and irrespective of where the child is placed, the child must be seen in private and alone (unless the child is of sufficient age and maturity and refuses or the social worker considers it inappropriate to do so, having regard to the child's age and understanding). If this is not possible, a further visit must be made at short notice in order that the child can be seen alone and observed with the staff/carer.

The social worker should be respectful of the child's privacy. Seeing the child's private space, like their bedroom, should be:

• Purposeful, so the child understands why it is necessary;
• Structured, so that the child understands what the social worker will look at and why;
• Respectful, only discussing and recording the content of private spaces when it provides a benefit to the young person.

There are good reasons why the social worker might need to see the child's bedroom, for example if tidiness is a source of conflict with the carer, or there are concerns about the child's self-care skills. These reasons should be explained to the child and used to structure the observation.

The social worker should be aware of who else lives in the placement and they should know about changes in structure and composition as well as the relationships within the household or unit.

For children who are not able to communicate their views verbally, the social worker should ensure that observations of the child are made in their placement and also in other settings, for example, school. Information and opinion should also be gathered from other professionals about their presentation.

If the child has particular communication difficulties, or if he/she requires specialist communication support (e.g. a specialist advocacy service), the social worker will need to consider what specialist resources should be utilised to ensure the child is able to express his/her wishes and feelings, including a request for a visit. This should be considered at the outset and included in the child's care and placement plan.

On some occasions, the social worker should also arrange to visit at times when all members of a household can be seen; or for children's homes, a significant number of adults and children.

Social workers must consider the balance of time spent with staff/carers and with children during a statutory visit. The social worker must prioritise their time with the child as opposed to the staff/carer. Issues raised by staff/carers can be discussed when a child is not present for example when they are at school.

Social workers should provide feedback to staff/carers regarding their visit.

5. Purpose

Prior to the visit the social should be considered the purpose of the visit.

Foster carers are highly regulated and monitored. There should be very minimal need to check the safety of the home and the quality of day-to-day care. Concerns about day-to-day behaviours need to be reported to the supervising social worker. The focus on the visit is:

• Building a relationship with the child and getting to know them as people;
• Understanding the child's views of their care plan and how the help is progressing;
• Working directly with the child to help them understand what is happening and what might happen next.

Each visit must cover education and health, but social work visits are also an opportunity to do direct work to move the plan on. The focus should be defined (even though it might change in the face of circumstances).

The clinician can provide advice on direct work and tools to use with individual children, and they must be consulted when planning visits for children with a clinical SDQ score.

The purpose of the visit is to ensure the placement continues to promote the child's welfare and in particular:

1. To give the child the opportunity to express his or her wishes, feelings and views;
2. To advise, assist and befriend the child and to ascertain who they would turn to in times of difficulty;
3. To promote an effective relationship between the child and social worker with particular reference to the role of the social worker as a link with the child's history and birth family;
4. To identify daily routines including getting up and going to bed, meal times (including whether the children in the placement all eat together), the arrangements for washing and whether the child is provided with privacy and support that is relevant to his or her stage of development;
5. To identify arrangements for holiday and leisure time including playing games, access to clubs, cultural and sporting activities;
6. To identify what special arrangements are made to meet any needs that arise from their culture, religious or heritage including communication, diet and skin/hair care;
7. To observe the child with the staff/carer/parent and to analyse parenting styles and the promotion of the child's self esteem;
8. To monitor the standard of care offered by the placement including the physical standards, house rules and behaviour management strategies;
9. To identify whether there are toys or games to play with and the access that the child has to them;
10. To monitor how the contact arrangements with family members and friends are working and to discover whether these are promoted within the home;
11. To consider the child's sleeping arrangements such as room sharing, display of personal belongings and the physical state of the room. Has the child got clean clothes that are stored appropriately?
12. To identify any areas where additional support is required;
13. To evaluate whether the placement is helping to achieve the objectives of the child's care plan, with particular reference to whether the placement is meeting the educational, health and social development needs of the child. Where it is a long-term/permanent placement, the social worker should observe whether there are signs that the child is an integral part of the family such as whether they are included in photographs on display;
14. To carry out specific casework tasks with the child, for example carrying out a programme of life story work;
15. To encourage children and young people to participate in consultation activity and events, such as Reach Out, in order to empower them and encourage them to speak up for themselves;
16. To identify whether older children are encouraged to play an increasing part in their own care such as laundry, food preparation and the purchase of food, clothes and budgeting;
17. To identify the arrangements for the child to get support with school work, do homework (including where appropriate, access to a computer)and visit a library. Do the carers attend parent's evenings?
18. To identify whether the child knows about the complaints procedure and the availability of advocacy services;
19. To monitor that the Child Health Record is stored safely, is up to date and is accessible to the child as appropriate to the child's age and understanding;

Social workers visiting children with disabilities and/or complex health needs should also consider the following:

• Whether practices that are being employed are appropriate and do not compromise the child's safety e.g. the method of lifting a disabled child;
• Does the carer have sufficient equipment i.e. bath chair / hoist etc.?
• Who arranges the child's health appointments and who attends? For children in residential placements in particular, is there consistency of worker?
• Is there clear written information re the administration of medication?

It may not be possible for a social worker to gain all the information listed in one visit but they must try to obtain a holistic view of the placement.

When visiting children in residential settings the social worker should read the running sheets to gain an understanding of recent events and also to identify any themes highlighted in the recording for example, behaviour and staff strategies for managing situations.

6. Recording

The social worker should record each visit within two working days of the visit, stating clearly:

1. The venue of the visit;
2. Who was present;
3. The purpose of the Visit;
4. Identify whether an interpreter was used;
5. Whether the child was seen (and if not why this was the case);
6. Information provided by the child or carer, that affects the care plan;
7. A succinct narrative of the nature of the discussion;
8. Any views the child expressed;
9. Any views the Carer expressed;
10. Identify whether there has been any significant change of circumstances for the child/or family, particularly membership of the household;
11. An analysis and evaluation of the outcome of the visit, commenting within the context of the Plan and the Review Recommendations;
12. Failed appointments and visits where there was no response should also be included, together with any actions required under the Children's Social Care Services procedure guidance;
13. Any matters of concern or difficulties;
14. Any observations on the child's welfare and the success of the placement;
15. Any requirements for action;
16. Summary of placement quality sent to commissioning team.

The record should be shared with the young person where appropriate and discussed at the next visit. The social worker should consider whether to share the record in writing with the young person and ask them for their views on how information about them has been recorded.

See also: Recording Policy and Guidelines.

7. Consequences of Visits

After every visit, the social worker is responsible for sharing information as necessary about the visit with:

• The Independent Reviewing Officer;
• The Placement team;
• The supervising social worker, if a fostering placement.

Where a social worker has concerns about whether a placement is adequately promoting a child's welfare, the IRO should be informed and Slough Children First must review the child's case in accordance with Part 6 of the 2010 Regulations (Reg 30]. This includes reviewing the child's care and placement plan and identifying actions which must be taken to ensure that the placement is able to meet his/her needs appropriately and, if not, to consider alternatives.

8. Good Practice when Visiting Children

Visits to children looked after should be conducted in line with Slough Children First's values. Before during and after visits, social workers should be:

Professional: Visits to the child are opportunities to do direct work. Carefully planning the purpose of the visit allows the social worker to consult with the clinician, structure the visit and think about what they need to talk about and observe during the visit.

Resourceful: Having a clear purpose for the visit helps to ensure that the social worker has the right direct work tools, and is confident in using them effectively. The purpose of each visit will be different, to allow time to explore the different dimensions of the child's life and wellbeing, for example life-story work, or ambitions for the future, or daily life. A range of tools are available on the intranet.

Respectful: Visits often happen in the place children call home. It is often also the carer's home:

• Being on time, and apologising if you are not, respecting the house rules and treating everyone in the house with respect will make visits more productive.
• Visiting with children in other places, or going out with them can be helpful. This should be arranged with the child and carer in advance, and in such a way that the child is not embarrassed or stigmatised by 'having a social worker'.

Reflective: Thinking about what has been seen and talked about on the visit should inform future care planning and the purpose and structure of the next visit:

• The Clinician, group supervision and talking with the Independent Reviewing Officer can all offer opportunities to reflect and interpret information gathered on visits.
• Sharing the report of the visit with the young person provides an opportunity to reflect together about progress and what areas of the young person's life need to be discussed next.

Additional resources to support communicating with children and young people can be found on the Research in Practice website:

• Trauma-informed approaches with young people: Frontline Briefing (2018);
• Voice of the child;
• Communicating with children under 5;
• Communicating with children and young people with speech, language and communication needs and/or developmental delay: Frontline Briefing (2016).