Short Term Breaks Referrals and Placements

A single assessment will be sufficient in most situations where the trigger for the assessment is a request for a short break.

Assessment must be proportionate to the situation and the needs of the child and family and there are a range of shortbreak services available across Walsall that require no assessment and where evidence that a child is in receipt of medium or higher rate Disability Living Allowance is sufficient to access services.

Where a child's needs and family circumstances are more complex, for example where overnight stays away from the family home may be indicated or requested on a regular basis, a Single Assessment will identify what types and level of services will be most appropriate to meet the identified needs

Parents of children who have a disability have the right to request an assessment of their own needs and should always be offered such an assessment by the social worker undertaking any other form of assessment. Such a request indicates the need for a Single Assessment and this should be considered by the worker undertaking a Carer's Assessment. Carer's Assessments should not be conducted in isolation and while there is a discrete focus on the needs of the carer the outcome of this assessment should be integrated within any broader assessment of the disabled child and their family. The needs of the parents can be recorded under the dimension of family functioning of the Assessment Framework.

This is applicable where short breaks are provided under Section 17 Children Act 1989.

The Child in Need Plan should be in writing and set out clearly all the services that are to be provided to meet the child's needs. Many families with a disabled child receive a range of services to meet their child's needs. Wherever possible there should be a single plan which includes the full range of family support services on a multi-agency basis. The plan will show how the short break will meet the needs of the child and family identified in the assessment. It will:

• Have clear and realistic objectives and outcomes;
• Include the ascertainable wishes and feelings of the child and views of the family;
• Follow consideration of options, including but not limited to Direct Payments;
• State the nature and frequency of services, as far as is practicable. This should include health and social care in the same plan, especially if the short break is provided from different agencies;
• State the child's health, emotional and behavioural development, clearly outlining where these are different from chronological norms and expectations. Full details of the child's disability, clinical needs and any medication the child may require must also be included;
• Clearly state the child's specific communication needs, especially for children who communicate non-verbally, and include the child's likes and dislikes. Completion of the About Me tool will helpfully explore the child's likes and dislikes in relation to food, leisure activities and any trigger points;
• The outcome of all necessary risk assessments which could include, depending on the child's impairment, moving and handling, invasive procedures, and behaviour;
• Clearly state contact arrangements for emergencies;
• Clearly state commitments of professionals involved, including the named Lead Professional and the frequency of visits by those professionals involved;
• Refer to or summarise any other important documents about the child's development;
• Outline the timescale for and arrangements regarding the review of the plan.

The plan should include all the information necessary to ensure the welfare of the child in the short break. Much of this information will already be available from a variety of sources including the parent-held child record.

The plan should be made available as necessary in accessible formats and shared with the child, if appropriate, the parents in all circumstances and other professionals contributing to the plan.

The Team Manager must sign off the plan to signify that in the Manager's opinion the plan meets the assessed needs of the child and their family.

This is applicable where short breaks are provided under Section 20 Children Act 1989.

If following assessment, it is agreed with the family that their child should be Looked After under Section 20 of the 1989 Act, there will be additional requirements about planning and review.

The same information required for a Child in Need Plan will form the basis of the Short Break Care Plan.

The Short Break Care Plan must set out the arrangements to meet the child's needs with particular regard to:

• The child's health and emotional and behavioural development, clearly outlining where these are different from chronological norms and expectations and include information relating to the child's disability, clinical needs and medication regime;
• The child's specific communication needs, especially for those children who communicate non-verbally and include the child's likes and dislikes. Completion of the All About Me tool will helpfully explore the child's likes and dislikes in relation to food, leisure activities and any trigger points;
• Contact arrangements with parents/anyone with Parental Responsibility;
• Arrangements for contacting parents, in particular an emergency contact number;
• How the carers, as appropriate, promote the child's educational achievement;
• The name and address of the registered medical practitioner;
• The name, address and type of accommodation, of the registered person (provider);
• The child's personal history, religious persuasion, cultural and linguistic background and racial origin;
• The respective responsibilities of the local authority and parents/anyone with Parental Responsibility; any delegation of responsibility from parents to the local authority; the respective roles and responsibilities of the placement provider, social worker, Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) and other staff employed or commissioned by the local authority to contribute to the plan for the child's care; the respective safeguarding responsibilities of the provider and the local authority;
• The expected duration of the arrangements and the steps to end them; arrangements for giving notice of intention to terminate the placement along with the local authority's responsibilities for convening a review of the child's Care and Pathway Plan where there is a risk of the placement being terminated;
• Frequency of visits;
• When the child is placed with a local authority-approved foster carer, confirmation of the foster carer's agreement;
• The provider's responsibilities for notifying the child's social worker of any significant change in the child's circumstances, behaviours or presentation.

As far as practicable, the child should be involved in agreeing the Plan and social workers must think creatively about the best way of enabling the child's involvement. 

The plan should be signed by the parents, the local authority, those providing the care / the provider agency and, where appropriate, the child. 

If following assessment it has been agreed that the child will be looked after under Section 20 the Short Break Care Plan should be linked to the Care Plan which should include all the key information about the child. These must not be separate plans with duplicate information.

Prior to any Short Break under Section 20 a pre-placement or introductory meeting should be arranged. If the child is accessing a Family Placement this will be arranged and chaired by Family Placement Services social worker and will include the parents, the child (where appropriate) and the Children & Young Person with Disabilities Team Worker. Where the child is attending a residential provision the Disability Team Social Worker will arrange the pre-planning meeting.

The child's health, communication, behavioural and medical needs will be discussed and persons identified to provide the carers with all training necessary to enable them to administer the child's. Other issues discussed include transport arrangements and programmes that need to be replicated by the carer e.g. behaviour management.

Introductions should commence as soon as practicable. Should the child be unable to attend for any reason the child's parents will notify the short break carer with as much notice as possible and all parties will then rearrange an alternative introduction date. Should any difficulties arise during the schedule the child's social worker and Family Placement Services social worker/residential key worker will be notified so that discussion can take place to resolve issues or as a last resort, end the introduction plan.

Should any difficulties arise during the schedule the child's social worker and Family Placement Services social worker will be notified so that discussion can take place to resolve issues or as a last resort, end the introduction plan.

Should it be considered that either the child or parent is not ready to begin the placement, or the carer is not fully confident/competent in caring for the child this will be discussed and further day care introductions may be arranged before reviewing the situation again.

There is no a requirement for a separate Placement Plan for short breaks.

Click here to view the Short Term Breaks Flowchart.

No significant change to a Child in Need Plan or a Short Break Care Plan should be made unless it has first been considered at a review. 

In all cases, whether the child is provided with accommodation under Section 17 or under Section 20, the review should consider whether this continues to be the most appropriate legislative basis for the service provided.

A record should be kept, recording the views of those involved in the review, decisions taken and the identity of the persons responsible for implementing them, with timescales. 

Reviews are part of the care planning process for children. They provide an opportunity to reconsider any existing Care Plan, monitor changes in circumstances and make transitional arrangements. They also help to ensure that the aims of the plan are being achieved. It is also through this process that the Care Plan may be changed.

Each child receiving a short break should be given the opportunity to express their wishes and feelings in a communication method that is most suitable to the child. In addition the child may attend their review meeting if they wish and are of an age/or stage of development to understand the issues raised.

A short break review for a child who is not looked after should:

• Safeguard and promote the welfare of the child;
• Ensure the service(s) provided meet the needs identified in the Child in Need Plan;
• Focus on the specified required outcomes for the child and family;
• Be a multi-agency review whenever possible and facilitate written submissions if physical attendance is not possible. Different elements of a child's care package should not require different reviews;
• Include the ascertainable wishes and feelings of the child as well as those of the family;
• Take place at least at least every 6 months. The changing needs of the child and/or their family may indicate that a review should take place earlier, more frequently and before this statutory minimum.

A review will usually include a face to face meeting but in some cases, this may not be necessary. It should be possible to include a review of short breaks provided to a child and their family with a review of some other aspect of services to the child's e.g. health or education.

The review should take place in the form of a meeting if requested by the family.

In all circumstances a face to face meeting should take place at least once every 12 months.

The first review must take place within the first 3months from the start of the placement. Second and subsequent reviews must take place at intervals of not more than 6months.

Reviews may be convened earlier e.g. at the request of the child, the family or where there is concern that a child's circumstances have changed resulting in the need to consider a change to the existing package of care to ensure that the child or family's needs continue to be met.

The 2010 Regulations in relation to Looked After Reviews apply in full, and reviews will take place as follows:

• The first review must take place within 20 working days of the first placement;
• The second review must take place not more than 3 months after the first;
• Subsequent reviews must take place at intervals of not more than 6 months;
• Reviews may be convened earlier e.g. at the request of the child, the family or where there is concern that a child's circumstances have changed resulting in the need to consider a change to the existing package of care to ensure that the child or family's needs continue to be met.

There is no statutory requirement for visits. However, the allocated worker must be able to satisfy themselves that the child's welfare is being safeguarded and that the service being provided is meeting the needs of the child and their family.

A minimum of at least one visit between each review is best practice.

Visits should take place at regular intervals and be recorded in the Short Break Care Plan before the start of the first placement. The frequency of the visits should be agreed with the Independent Reviewing Officer and the child's parent's/person with parental responsibility.

In all circumstances the first visit to the child in placement must take place within 3 months of the first placement day and subsequent visits to the child in placement at intervals of no more than 6 months for as long as the short breaks continue.

On all visits the social worker must see the child, the room they are using and communicate with the child as appropriate and in keeping with their emotional and behavioural development.

Visits must take place within one week of the start of the child's placement and thereafter at intervals of no more than 6 weekly.

On all visits the social worker must see the child, the room they are using and communicate with the child as appropriate and in keeping with their emotional and behavioural development.