Working with children and young people who are placed in a Child, Youth and Family residence or supervised group home or in a provider placement
What's Important To Us
The decision to place a child or young person in a Child, Youth and Family residence or supervised group home, or with a service provider is never one that is made lightly. In these situations the child or young person will likely have complex needs that just can’t be met by our caregivers or by their family or whānau, and they may require extra support and oversight to keep them safe. It is important that when our children and young people are in these types of placements we don’t lose sight of them or their specific needs, and we keep on track with planning for their future.
This key information provides information about social work roles and responsibilities before, during and after a child or young person has been placed in a Child, Youth and Family residence or supervised group home, National Bednights placement, Youth Services Strategy (YSS) placement, or community-based residential facility. A seamless and coordinated approach is critical to the future wellbeing of the child or young person.
Arranging the placement
Planning and preparation is the key to a successful placement in any situation. Bring together everyone involved with the child or young person – their parents, caregivers, extended family, support people, and the child or young person themselves – to develop a coordinated plan of support that will sit around the child or young person while they are in their placement. Think about who else you might need to involve in the plan as the placement progresses. If the placement has to happen quickly and you don’t have time to hold a meeting beforehand, hold this meeting within a week of the placement so that you don’t lose momentum with the case.
Be clear about:
- the purpose of the placement
- the specific needs that will be addressed in the placement
- how contact and communication for the child or young person with their family, significant people and their social worker will occur
- how the placement will be monitored
- when the placement will be reviewed.
Remember that a robust plan can only be developed when a full assessment of the child or young person has been completed by the social worker and other agencies and we have a holistic understanding of the child or young person’s needs, strengths and vulnerabilities.
For more information about planning and engagement, refer to Key Information: Planning and reviewing and Key Information: Engaging with children and young people.
Consider whether the proposed placement is the right fit for the child or young person, and only choose a placement that you believe will best meet their particular needs.
Remember that change – whether it is sudden or planned – can be really de-stabilising for a child or young person. Explain to them:
- why they are moving to a new placement
- why you believe the placement is the right fit for them
- what will happen when they are in the placement (i.e. Will they still be going to the same school? How often will they see their family?)
- how long you think the placement will last.
Be honest if you don’t have all of the answers, but tell them you will give these to them when you do have them.
Prior to the placement, clarify with the service provider what exactly you will be responsible for in terms of finances. In some cases, our contracts with service providers will cover some of the costs we would automatically fund if a child or young person was placed with a Child, Youth and Family caregiver. Talk to a contract specialist in your region to understand what Child, Youth and Family and the provider will each be responsible for funding, and make sure you and the provider have a common understanding of these responsibilities before the placement starts. Also, as much as possible, make sure you have all finances approved before the placement begins, including financing for specialist assessments (if required). Pay special attention to clothing, pocket money, and school costs, and make sure there are no hassles or holdups with the provision of these items.
During the placement
When a child or young person is placed in a residence, specialist group home or family home or with a service provider, you as their social worker still hold over all responsibility for them. This means visiting at least every eight weeks (as per the Caring for Children and Young People policy), and ensuring their health and education needs are being met.
Sometimes, particularly if the child or young person is placed in another area or another part of the country, it can be easy to take our eye off the ball and leave things in a holding pattern for the duration of the placement. The placement of a child or young person in a residential setting, supervised group home or provider placement is a time when we need to intensify our efforts with the child or young person. This might mean visiting more regularly, and establishing additional lines of communication with the child or young person (i.e. video conferencing, text messages, email, phone calls).
It’s also really important to have regular contact with the lead worker at the residence or placement. Be proactive – ring them to find out how the child or young person is settling in. Don’t wait for them to tell you things are at crisis point and the placement is breaking down.
Ensure that the child or young person’s support network meets regularly (every three months as per policy) to check that the objectives of the placement are being addressed and the child or young person’s needs are being met. Perhaps other needs not previously known have shown themselves during the placement that will also need to be addressed. We need to continually ask ourselves whether we really understand what is happening with the child or young person. If we don’t know, how can we find out and who can help us do this?
Also make sure that the child or young person has a clear understanding about their rights while in care. Sit down with them with the children’s charter and go through each of the ‘rights’ with them so that they understand what they can expect from Child, Youth and Family and what they can do if their rights are being ignored.
Refer to the Caring for Children and Young People policy to understand more about Child, Youth and Family’s responsibilities for children and young people in care.
Think about the assessments that need to be completed and supports that need to be provided now in order for you to make a sound decision about where the child or young person should next be placed.
It is also really important that everyone who has contact with the child or young person is attentive to how they are behaving and interacting with others. Sometimes, being placed in a non-family type of environment like a residence or supervised group home can be really upsetting and foreign for a child or young person. Keep an eye on their mood and any signs of suicidal ideation or self-harming behaviours, and have a plan in place for what needs to happen if concerns arise. Use an engagement tool like the three houses to help you to better understand how the child or young person is feeling.
Transitioning to a new living situation
Early on in the placement, start thinking about how you will transition the child or young person to their next placement. If the placement is only for three months and you anticipate you’ll need at least two months to transition the child or young person to their new living situation, then planning for transition will need to begin and be underway almost as soon as the placement starts. Rushing a transition can be disastrous and have long-reaching impacts – never underestimate how long a successful transition can take.
In thinking about transitioning, involve those people in the child or young person’s support network as well as the child or young person themselves and their parents and other whānau. Decide on a transition objective (e.g. to return the child back to mother’s care) and work out what each party needs to do to make this a reality. Allocate specific tasks based on people’s strengths, and provide copies of the plan to those who are involved so that they are clear what their particular responsibilities will be. Set up review meetings at least once every three months so that everyone can come together to give their feedback on how they see the transition going, and record any tasks that arise from these meetings so that everyone knows what is expected of them. Keep these meetings going after the child or young person has moved to their new placement to iron out any issues that might crop up. Remember that these times are also critical, and your contact with the child or young person made need to be increased.
Transitioning is active and situations will change as the child or young person’s circumstances change or if new issues arise. It is important to be flexible while at the same time ensuring the focus always remains on the child or young person and their specific timeframes.
Be mindful that, specifically for young people, moving from one care arrangement to another (including return home) can heighten their risk to self-harm or possibly suicide. Who will be keeping in touch with the young person to understand what is happening for them? Ensure their emotional and psychological well-being is monitored in their new placement, and engage specialist support if required.
Please note: Te Poutama Arahi Rangatahi Residential Service has an agreed Reintegration Plan Protocol with Child, Youth and Family, which needs to start six months prior to the young person leaving the residential programme.
For more information on transitioning, see the Planning for Transition plan template on CYRAS, or refer to Key Information: Transitioning between placements.
Responding to allegations against caregivers
When a child or young person makes an allegation of abuse or neglect against a person who is supposed to be looking after them, we need to take this seriously. When the alleged perpetrator works in a Child, Youth and Family residence, supervised group home or family home, refer to the Allegations against caregivers policy. If a child or young person makes an allegation against a caregiver employed by a service provider, read the Key Information: Complaints and allegations against caregivers of s396 providers for additional information and guidance.
Placement options
To find out more about available placement options and the process for referring for a placement, go to Key information: Specialist placements for young people with high needs.
