Quality standard

Quality statement 6: Continuity of services for placements outside the local authority or health boundary

Quality statement 6: Continuity of services for placements outside the local authority or health boundary

Quality statement

Looked-after children and young people who move across local authority or health boundaries continue to receive the services they need.

Rationale

Looked-after children and young people should not be disadvantaged when they move across local authority or health boundaries and should continue to receive the services they need. Good transition planning enables transfer of relevant information and continuity of services. Looked-after children and young people also value continued contact with the same professionals when they move areas.

Quality measures

The following measures can be used to assess the quality of care or service provision specified in the statement. They are examples of how the statement can be measured, and can be adapted and used flexibly.

Structure

a) Evidence of local arrangements to ensure the placing authority shares relevant information before a child or young person is placed across a local authority or health boundary.

Data source: No routinely collected national data for this measure has been identified. Data can be collected from information recorded locally by health and social care professionals and provider organisations.

b) Evidence of local arrangements to ensure that an assessment of health needs has been carried out before a child or young person is placed across a local authority or health boundary.

Data source: No routinely collected national data for this measure has been identified. Data can be collected from information recorded locally by health and social care professionals and provider organisations, for example from patient records.

c) Evidence of local arrangements to ensure there is agreement between placing and receiving teams about schooling and healthcare arrangements before a child or young person is placed across a local authority or health boundary.

Data source: No routinely collected national data for this measure has been identified. Data can be collected from information recorded locally by health and social care professionals and provider organisations.

d) Evidence of local arrangements to ensure that looked-after children and young people have continued contact with key professionals when they are placed across a local authority or health boundary.

Data source: No routinely collected national data for this measure has been identified. Data can be collected from information recorded locally by health and social care professionals and provider organisations.

Process

a) Proportion of looked-after children and young people placed across a local authority or health boundary for whom relevant information was shared before the placement took place.

Numerator – the number of people in the denominator for whom all relevant information was shared before the placement took place.

Denominator – the number of looked-after children and young people placed across a local authority or health boundary.

Data source: No routinely collected national data for this measure has been identified. Data can be collected from information recorded locally by health and social care professionals and provider organisations.

b) Proportion of looked-after children and young people for whom an assessment of health needs was carried out before they were placed across a local authority or health boundary.

Numerator – the number of people in the denominator who received an assessment of health needs before they were placed across a local authority or health boundary.

Denominator – the number of looked-after children and young people placed across a local authority or health boundary.

Data source: No routinely collected national data for this measure has been identified. Data can be collected from information recorded locally by health and social care professionals and provider organisations.

Outcome

a) Feedback from looked-after children and young people that they remain in contact with key professionals when they move across a local authority or health boundary.

Data source: No routinely collected national data for this measure has been identified. Data can be collected from information recorded locally by health and social care professionals and provider organisations, for example from patient records and surveys.

b) Carer satisfaction with the arrangements made for children and young people placed with them from a different area.

Data source: No routinely collected national data for this measure has been identified. Data can be collected from information recorded locally by health and social care professionals and provider organisations, for example from carer surveys.

What the quality statement means for different audiences

Service providers (organisations providing care) ensure there are local arrangements for necessary services to be in place, for relevant information to be transferred and for continued contact with key professionals before looked-after children and young people are moved across local authority or health boundaries.

Health and social care practitioners and education staff ensure all relevant information for looked-after children and young people is transferred before they move across local authority or health boundaries, and that contact is maintained with key professionals.

Commissioners (for example, local authorities) ensure they commission services with local arrangements for necessary services to be in place, for relevant information to be transferred, and for continued contact with key professionals before looked-after children and young people are moved across local authority or health boundaries.

Carers of looked-after children and young people are supported to meet the needs of the child or young person through looked-after children and young people having continued access to services they need and continued contact with key professionals if they move across local authority or health boundaries.

Looked-after children and young people continue to receive services they need and remain in contact with key professionals if they are moved across local authority or health boundaries.

Source guidance

Looked-after children and young people. NICE guideline NG205 (2021), recommendations 1.2.13, 1.7.11, 1.7.18 and 1.7.19

Definitions of terms used in this quality statement

Carers

Carers include foster carers (including family and friends carers), residential carers and supported lodging providers. [Adapted from NICE's guideline on looked-after children and young people, and expert opinion]

Relevant information

Multiagency information on the history of the looked-after child or young person's care and their current health and care needs, transferred to the receiving authority before a child or young person is placed across a local authority or health boundary. [NICE's guideline on looked-after children and young people, recommendations 1.7.14 and 1.7.15]

Equality and diversity considerations

Continuity of services should take account of the diverse needs of looked-after children and young people, including (but not limited to):

  • babies and young children

  • children and young people with special educational needs

  • children and young people with learning or physical disabilities

  • children and young people with speech, language and communication difficulties

  • children and young people with a hearing or visual impairment

  • unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and young people.