Children from other local authorities

There are a number of cared-for children placed in Northumberland by other local authorities. Northumberland County Council would like to inform you about the resources and facilities available to cared-for children and young people who may be placed in our authority.

Within these guidance notes, we set out the process to notify us when a cared-for child or young person is placed in Northumberland, or when their placement arrangements change.

Also included is information about:

• our virtual school for cared-for children
• information about accessing universal services
• contact details for Voices Making Choices (our children in care council)
• contact details for our local authority designated officer.

Please provide this information to the relevant professionals within your children’s social care service. We hope this information will help your staff to understand and access the diverse universal services that are available to children and young people living in Northumberland.

It would be helpful if you passed this information on to any of your foster carers based in Northumberland, to make them aware of the services available.

Please send us any similar information and contact details about services and opportunities available to any cared-for children we may have placed in your local authority area.

The Care Planning, Placement and Case Review statutory guidance and the associated regulations, (last updated July 2021) outline duties on local authorities to notify other local authorities if they place a child in care within their area. It also requires children’s homes to notify their host local authority when a child is placed with them by another authority. See: Notifying us of children from another area.
 
Northumberland have agreed to notify Police of any out of area children they host, particularly where there is risk relating to missing, exploitation or trafficking – see: Children at risk of exploitation or going missing.

To notify us of any looked-after/cared-for children from another local authority living in Northumberland, please email OLAPlacements@northumberland.gov.uk

Changes of address and notifications of cared-for children leaving Northumberland should also be emailed to OLAPlacements@northumberland.gov.uk. Please ensure notifications highlight any particular risks or vulnerabilities to assist the professional network within Northumberland to respond effectively to any issues that may arise.

The schools, academies, colleges and alternative education providers in Northumberland are known to the virtual head and work in active partnership to ensure that cared for children all do the best they can at school, and care leavers progress into education, employment and training. All education settings have a collective responsibility to ensure that our young people fulfil their potential.

For cared-for children moving into Northumberland, please contact our Education Support for Looked After Children team in the first instance, using this email address: ESLAC.info@northumberland.gov.uk

Each school in Northumberland has a designated teacher for cared-for children to promote the educational achievement of children in care who are on the school roll, regardless of which local authority they belong to. The designated teachers work with the virtual school to ensure all cared-for children and young people in Northumberland are supported, encouraged and challenged to aim high, to enjoy and to achieve.

The virtual school maintains a register of all cared-for children and young people aged 0 to 19 years placed within Northumberland.

The virtual school headteacher works collaboratively with Virtual Schools in other local authorities and with Adopt North East to provide guidance and advice to the parents of previously looked after children, and with multi-agency professionals to promote the education of children with a social worker.
 
For more information, please visit the Virtual School webpage

Northumberland families information service (FIS) is a free and impartial service providing information and advice to help choose childcare that best suits the needs of the child. 

Cared-for children aged two, three and four are entitled to 15 hours' free childcare (early years entitlement) that can be taken up at approved providers, which include:

• day nurseries
• pre-schools and playgroups
• childminders
• school nurseries

For more information and a list of approved providers in Northumberland email fis@northumberland.gov.uk. See: Northumberland County Council - Families Information Service Northumberland

Previously known as Children's Centres, Northumberland Family Hubs carry out a range of work in the local community, which ranges from birth registration, midwifery services and infant feeding support, to primary mental health, community events, relationship support and more.
 
Anyone who cares for or is expecting a child (pre-birth to 19 years and up to 25 years for Special Education Needs & Disabilities) can register to use our family hubs.
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We have venues across the county to ensure Family Hubs are as easy to access as possible from across Northumberland. These venues are split into four areas:

• North Northumberland - (Alnwick, Berwick, Hadston, Wooler areas)
• Central Northumberland - (Ashington, Bedlington, Newbiggin areas)
• South East Northumberland - (Blyth, Cramlington & Seaton Valley areas)
• West Northumberland - (Bellingham, Halthwsitle, Hexham, Prudhoe areas)

More information about our family hubs can be found here Family Hubs in Northumberland.

When a cared-for child (aged 0-25 years special educational needs or education health and care plan (EHCP), the SEND team will coordinate the formal assessment process and maintain the EHCP on behalf of the placing authority. The team can be contacted on 01670 622750.
 
We also have a wide range of services available to provide help and support to children, their families and carers, schools and other professionals to ensure all children and young people get the best education. 

These include:

• early help and early intervention services
• locality inclusion support teams with education psychology and behaviour support services
• targeted adolescent services

For more information about our local offer, go to: Northumberland County Council - Northumberland Local Offer SEND 0 to 25 years
 

All children and young people living in Northumberland have access to universal health services provided by Harrogate District Foundation Trust (0-19 Service) and GPs in Northumberland.

The Northumbria NHS Trust provides Child in Care service together with a range of services for people suffering with mental health, learning disability, eating disorders and substance misuse. This includes the provision of the child and adolescent mental health services in Northumberland.

The health needs of cared-for children and young people in Northumberland are monitored by our designated nurse for cared-for children, who can be contacted on 01670 335160.

Northumberland adolescent service (NAS) provides co-ordinated support to young people aged 11 to 19 including:

• providing suitable places for young people to meet up and feel safe
• personalised and intensive support for young people who have more serious problems
• support for young people to reduce the associated risks from drug and alcohol misuse
• crime and antisocial behaviour
• targeted youth support
• information, advice and guidance
• positive activities and informal learning

The NAS team be contacted by email northumberlandadolescentservices@northumberland.gov.uk or by calling 01670 536400. You can find services for young people Northumberland County Council - Young people

The YJS work with young people (aged 10 to 19) with the aim of preventing them from offending, reoffending, and helping them to engage in activities to fulfil their potential.

The service is made up of a social worker, court officers, restorative justice practitioners, police officers, a health and wellbeing worker, speech and language practitioners, specialist workers, probation and restorative justice workers. 

The team involves people from these different agencies to help access the services young people need to turn them away from crime. Through close multi-agency and partnership working, the YJS is committed to keeping crime low and diverting young people away from the criminal justice system.

The service helps prevent offending by working with children and young people and their families.

For more information about the YJS and what we do, go to: Northumberland County Council - Northumberland Youth Justice Service

The VMC group represents the views of cared-for children, young people and care leavers. The group enables young people to meet with others in care and those who have left our care. They meet regularly, including during school holidays, and are involved in both service development and a range of leisure activities.

Visit the webpage for more information - Voices Making Choices

We hope this information is a helpful resource for colleagues from outside the county who are working with cared-for children placed in Northumberland. We welcome any feedback you may have.
 

Northumberland County Council has a multi-agency response to sharing information, monitoring risk and analysing data for children and young people living in Northumberland who may be vulnerable, exploited, missing or trafficked.
 
In cases where a child placed in the Northumberland area by another local authority goes missing from home, the home authority should call a strategy meeting. Ideally this will include the relevant organisations from both the home and host authority and will establish a plan.
 
Local procedures should be followed and the response should also be based on the young person’s care plan. Where there is a history of the young person going missing, the home authority must inform the host authority as part of the placement agreement. Appropriate details should be shared to support the home authority (who retain ownership) to manage the risk and informal care planning for the child. Any information gathered as part of the return interview will also be shared with the host local authority.

If your local authority has placed a child or young person in Northumberland and there are concerns they are at risk from being vulnerable, exploited, missing or trafficked, please notify us by calling 01670 536400 or email childrentriage@northumberland.gov.uk

Should you require support or information on a safeguarding matter about a child placed in Northumberland, email LADO@northumberland.gov.uk or call 07500 606174 (Monday to Thursday 08:30-17:00, Friday 08:30-16:30) or 01670 536400 (Out of hours)

See: Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) / Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) - Information Sheet and Flowchart 

Where there are Concerns about Significant Harm

Work with children and their families may be taking place in the context of a Section 47 Enquiry which may be in progress when the child/children and family move to another local authority area.

Each agency will have internal procedures which set out how information about children and families is provided to another local authority/health service /education service/police force area when a child or family moves.

Where a child moves across local authority boundaries, and a Section 47 Enquiry is being considered or is in progress and/or a Child Protection Conference is proposed but has not yet taken place, it is the responsibility of the local authority where the concerns originated to make decisions as to how to proceed. (see: Child Protection Conferences Procedure)
 
It is normally advisable that assessments or particular pieces of work are concluded before transfer of case responsibility takes place.
 
See: Children and Families Moving Across Local Authority Boundaries or Abroad (proceduresonline.com)
 

Children Subject to a Child Protection Plan (CPP)

 

Notifying us of children visiting or moving to Northumberland

To notify us of any children (with CPP) visiting or moving to Northumberland, please email childprotection@northumberland.gov.uk or call 01670 624888
 

Actions to be Taken in the Child's Originating Area (placing authority)

Where a Child subject to a Child Protection Plan moves out of the home area, anyone who becomes aware of the plan to move or the move taking place, must inform the child's Lead Social Worker or, if not available, the Lead Social Worker's line manager.

The Lead Social Worker will:

• Immediately inform Children's Social Care in the new area of the change in the child's circumstances;
• Send the child's relevant personal details to the new area including a copy of the most recent Child Protection Plan;
• Inform the 'home' Designated Manager (Children subject to a Child Protection Plan) of the changes;
• Inform the Core Group members of the change in circumstances;
• Attend any Initial Child Protection Conference in the new area.

 The Designated Manager (Children subject to a Child Protection Plan) will:

• Ensure that all information is updated and the correct address is displayed on the List of Children subject to a Child Protection Plan;
• Inform the new area's Designated Manager (Children subject to a Child Protection Plan) of the current details and forward any relevant documentation such as copies of minutes of the Initial Child Protection Conference and the most recent Review Conference;
• Inform the local Designated Nurse of the relevant information in order for the health agencies in the new area to be informed;
• Inform the GP, and Health Visitor (for pre-school children).

Only when the new area has made a decision whether the child is to become subject to a Child Protection Plan or not should the child's details be removed from the List of Children who have a Child Protection Plan in the original area.
 
The date that the child's name is removed from the List in the original area will therefore be the date of the Initial Child Protection Conference in the new area when the decision is made.
 

Actions to be Taken in the Child's New Area (Northumberland)

At the point of notification, the Designated Manager (Children subject to a Child Protection Plan) or their nominated representative in the child's new area will be expected to:

• Place the child's name, address and relevant known personal details on the List of Children with a Child Protection Plan;
• Request information from the originating Local Authority, including copies of the Initial Child Protection Conference and the last Review Conference minutes from the originating area;
• Inform the relevant Children's Social Care team of the details of the incoming child;
• Inform the designated nurse;
• Make arrangements to hold an Initial Child Protection Conference within 15 working days of the notification of the child moving in;
• Request representation from the originating local authority's Children's Social Care to attend the conference to ensure that up to date and accurate information is shared and discussed;
• Confirm the outcome of the Initial Child Protection Conference with the originating local authority's Designated Manager (Children subject to a Child Protection Plan) and forward a copy of the Conference Minutes for their records.

The relevant Children's Social Care team will:

• Undertake enquiries to ensure that protective action is taken in order to safeguard the child in the new area until the Initial Child Protection Conference has taken place;
• Undertake an assessment to determine whether the child has suffered, or is likely to suffer Significant Harm in the new area and work with the child and family to prepare for the Initial Child Protection Conference.

See: Children and Families Moving Across Local Authority Boundaries or Abroad (proceduresonline.com) and our local Transfer in process (Child Protection)
 
For any queries about this process email childprotection@northumberland.gov.uk or call 01670 624888.