Provision for Mothers and Babies in Order To Assess Parenting Capacity and/or Provide Accommodation

Amongst the range of young people (under 18th birthday) who have babies are some who may be assessed:

• As a Child in Need;
• As a pregnant young woman or mother, as part of a requested adoption service;
  and provided with a range of services:
• Any of those providable for a Child in Need (including funding to enable residence in a Mother and Baby Home) the provision of accommodation (foster home etc).

The Children’s Service Manager is responsible for the decision to recommend a placement at a registered residential family centre of foster carer.

The social worker will undertake an assessment of need for any provision.

A referral is made by the social worker to the Placements Team for funding. This can be preceded by verbal exploration re availability of accommodation, but no commitment should be given to the provider.

The Service Manager (Placements) will decide the appropriateness of the referral, availability of funds and agreed timescale.

If the decision is to proceed with the placement, the Placements Team will write to the accommodation provider, with a copy to the referring Locality.

Any changes of need for accommodation, or proposed additional maintenance or assessment expenditure, should be referred to the Placements Team. Invoices for assessment should be sent by the provider to the Placements Team for authorisation.

The Placements Team authorises payment from budget to providers of Mother and Baby Home care for two types of fees:

1. Maintenance payments;
2. In some circumstances child protection assessment fees;
3. The criteria for child protection fees are:
   • Known risk, with removal of the baby the likely alternative;
   • Need for detailed and intensive watchfulness;
   • Assessment requested by Child Protection conference or Court;
   • Written report (and staff attendance) needed for subsequent conference or Court attendance.

The role of the Placements Team is to:

• Approve the appropriateness of a referral to Mother and Baby Home accommodation;
• Agree the level of expenditure;
• Be responsible for, and monitor, the cash limited budget;
• Liaise with key providers of accommodation, and ensure dissemination of accurate information within the Department;
• Monitor outcomes and levels of unmet need;
• Contribute to the development of additional or alternative resources where appropriate. 

When a Child Protection assessment period and fee is approved this will not normally be for longer than 8 weeks. The assessment fee includes the provision of appropriate reports and attendance at Conference and/or Court. However, where Court proceedings are protracted, and several attendances of Home Staff are essential to the conduct of the case, the responsible Locality Service Manager can authorise reimbursement of reasonable costs via Child Care Legal Section.

Responsibility for authorising and funding any specific follow up work by the Mother and Baby Home staff, once the mother has left the Home, lies with the originating Locality.

This type of placement requires Group Manager approval.

The responsibility for agreeing and funding day assessment programme's with independent establishments and other agencies (including Mother and Baby Home) lies with the originating Locality (Section 17 budget).

Responsibility for boarding out and funding a pregnant young woman under 18 with a foster carer lies with the originating Locality.

Responsibility for top up funding required for a placement in more semi-independent forms of accommodation also rests with the originating Locality. Assistance will be appropriate if:

• The accommodation is the most suitable available; and we are supporting under our after care powers; or
• Assisting will prevent the mother and/or the child being inappropriately accommodated by the Local Authority (S.17 powers).

In these cases it will be for a Locality Team Manager to determine that the necessary finance is available within the respective budgets, or for the Locality Manager to authorise a temporary virement within the relevant responsible Group held budgets.