Corporate Parenting

• Suffolk's Promise sets the standards we expect from everyone working with children and young people who are looked after, or moving on from care to adult life.
• Looked After Children: Care Planning, Placement and Review sets out the policy framework for meeting the needs of looked after children (PDF, 155Kb)
• Care Planning Pathways outlines the process to be followed when a child needs to be looked after, either through a planned process or in emergency (PDF, 81Kb) 
• Planning Resolution Protocol for Children in Care and Children Subject to Child Protection Plans sets out the escalation process for raising concerns (PDF, 23Kb)
• Notification Form. (PDF, 52Kb) This should be used to inform Health when a child is placed
• Consent Form - for sharing health information (PDF, 32Kb)
• Meeting council's duty to promote the educational achievement of Looked After Children. (PDF, 40.83Kb)
• Protocol for the midyear admission to school of looked after children (PDF, 50Kb)
• Guidance on managing contact for looked after children.(PDF, 120Kb)
• If looked after children are to be placed in out of county resources, funding approval is needed from the Inter Agency Panel. (PDF, 74Kb)
• If looked after children are to be placed with friends using immediate placement regulations, see the Immediate Placement procedures.
• Follow these procedures for  Children who run away or go missing from home or care ( PDF, 60kb)
• Placement with parents regulations (PDF, 152Kb) apply when children who are subject to Emergency Protection Orders, Interim or Full Care Orders are placed at home.
• The Policy and Good Practice Guide on Looked After Children At Risk of Misusing Drugs, Alcohol or Harmful Substances - supports work with looked after children who may be at risk of misusing substances

Boarding School Provision for Children in Need

Placing a child in a boarding school can sometimes be an appropriate family support resource, either as a better alternative to care or to support a child placed with parents under a Care Order. Further information about boarding school provision (PDF, 76 Kb).

Area Resource Panel / Inter-agency County Panel

If needs are not met following joint agency discussion at meetings in Children’s Services, i.e. Child in Need planning/review meeting, or Health or Education Complex Cases Meeting, the case may be referred to the Area Resource Panel.

If a decision is made that the child needs to be accommodated a request must be sent to the Central Resource team.

If no local solution is identified at the Area Resource Panel meeting a referral is made to the Inter-Agency County Panel.

• Area Resource Panel Guidance and Procedures (PDF, 72Kb)
• Flowchart: Integrated planning for children and young people in need (PDF, 38Kb)
• Form 1: Area Resource Panel/Inter-agency County Panel Resource Request (Word template, 95Kb)
• Form 2: Area Resource Panel Decision Sheet (Word template, 44Kb)
• Form 3: CRT Placement Request (Word template, 114Kb)
• Form 4: Inter-agency County Panel Decision Sheet (Word template, 46Kb)
• Risk Management – Looked After Children. Pre-admission risk assessment (Word template, 57Kb)

Permanent Fostering

Looked after children requiring permanent fostering must be presented to the Permanence Panel for a decision on whether permanent fostering is in the child’s best interests and for matching.

Follow this link to Permanent Fostering Procedures: Referral to Permanence Panel and Family Finding
Follow this link to Permanent Fostering Procedures: Matching

Special Guardianship

• Special Guardianship - policy in Suffolk (PDF, 97Kb)
• Special Guardianship - social work procedures (PDF, 77Kb)
• Special Guardianship - court report format (PDF, 157Kb)
• Special Guardianship - financial procedures in Suffolk (PDF, 45Kb)
• Special Guardianship - government means test guidance (PDF, 68Kb)
• Special guardianship - full government guidance and regulations (2005) (PDF, 200Kb)
• National Youth  Advocacy service for children and young people who are Looked After by Suffolk
• Suffolk's Anti Bullying Policy (PDF, 81Kb)
• Children placed with other authorities (PDF, 9Kb)/ Local authorities placement form (Other authorities placing children in Suffolk are expected to follow this protocol)

• Protocol for providing school transport for looked after children (PDF, 29Kb)

Policies regarding Children's Homes

Suffolk's Acceptable Behaviour Policy (PDF, 42Kb)