Decision Report 201801705

Summary

Ms C complained that the partnership unreasonably managed her foster child's (Child A) transition to their new home.

We took independent advice from a social worker. We found that Child A's views were not sought even though, given their age, there was an opportunity to understand how they felt. We considered that Child A could have been better supported to help them understand what was happening. Child A was also not given an opportunity to say goodbye to their foster family in a way that was sensitive to their needs.

We also found that a Looked After Child (LAC) review did not take place after the Children's Hearing made their decision to move Child A. This would have provided the best opportunity to ensure that all relevant areas were assessed, to safeguard Child A. Relevant agencies were also not aware of Child A's move, meaning gaps in information could have occurred and potentially have an adverse effect on the protections in place for Child A. Therefore, we upheld Ms  C's complaint.

Recommendations

What we said should change to put things right in future:

• Children's views should be sought in an age appropriate manner to understand how they are feeling and have a more informed assessment of their behaviour.
• Future review dates should be set at LAC meetings and be incorporated into the decisions and action to be taken as per LAC procedures.
• Actions identified in LAC reviews which impact on child safety should be followed up with the actions/outcomes recorded at the subsequent LAC review.
• The partnership should follow LAC procedures regarding permanent substitute care with management systems in place to ensure that this is happening.

We have asked the organisation to provide us with evidence that they have implemented the recommendations we have made on this case by the deadline we set.