Health Care Assessments and Plans

Every Looked After Child should have a Health Care Assessment soon after being placed and then at specified intervals; as set out below.

The purpose of a Health Care Assessments is to carry out an initial assessment of the child's physical, emotional and mental health. The Health Care Assessment will inform the child's Health Care Plan, and ensure that the placement meets the child's holistic health needs. As a minimum the child's main carer will be required to completed the carer's two-page version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) for the child in time to inform his or her health assessment.

(See Annex B of the 'DfE Promoting the Health and Well-being of Looked-after Children', Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire).

Health Care Assessments must be conducted by a suitably qualified medical practitioner, who should provide the social worker with a written report.

• The first assessment must be conducted before the child's first placement, or if this is not reasonably practicable, before the child's first Looked After Review – unless one has been conducted in the previous 3 months;
• For children aged between two and five years, further assessments should occur at least every six months;
• For children aged over five years, further assessments should be at least annually;
• Health Care Assessments must be conducted more frequently where the child's health needs dictate.

Health Care Assessments should not be seen as an isolated event but rather be seen as part of the continuous cycle of care planning (assessment, planning, intervention and review) and build on information already known from health professionals, parents and previous carers, and the child himself or herself.

The Social Worker is normally responsible for ensuring that Health Care Assessments are undertaken, but this responsibility may be undertaken by the home.

In order for the assessment to be conducted, the social worker should ensure that all the necessary consents and delegated authority permissions have been obtained so that decisions are not delayed. Young people (dependant on their age and understanding) can provide informed consent for the assessment.

Each child's Placement Plan should identify the child's health care needs (if any) and set out how these will be met by the home.

The initial Health Care Plan should be produced before the first Looked After Review. The Health Care Plan should then be updated after each Health Care Assessment or as circumstances change.

The Health Care Plan should describe how the child's physical, emotional and mental health needs will be addressed to improve health outcomes.

The Health Care Plan (and the Placement Plan as necessary) should cover the following:

1. Whether there are any specific health physical, emotional or mental healthcare needs - and how the home will meet them;
2. Responsibilities of staff to make sure a child attends their Health Assessment and all other medical, dental and optical appointments, and facilitate any required treatment regimes;
3. Agreements for the use of non-prescribed medicines, Home Remedies or use of first aid;
4. Any specific medical or other health interventions which may be required, including whether it is necessary for any invasive procedures and how they will be undertaken;
5. Whether it is necessary for any immunisations to be carried out;
6. Any specific treatment or therapeutic interventions, strategies or remedial programmes required;
7. Any necessary preventative measures to be adopted;
8. Clarify which health care decisions have been delegated to children's home staff;
9. If the child is a risk of suicide or self harm, the interventions/strategies to be adopted in reducing or preventing such behaviour;
10. How the home will contribute to any health monitoring.

Information should also be given about any allergies. See also First Aid, Home Remedies and Medication Procedure and Provision and Preparation of Meals Procedure.

One of the key responsibilities of the child's Link Worker is promoting his/her health and educational achievement, liaising with key professionals, including the Named Nurse for Looked After Children, the child's GP and dental practitioner.

The Link Worker will also ensure that up to date records are kept on the child in relation to his/her health needs, development, illnesses, operations, immunisations, allergies, medications, administered, dates of appointments with GP's and specialists.

The Link Worker must also ensure the child is registered with a GP and other health care professionals as set out in Health and Wellbeing, Health Notifications and Access to Services Procedure.

Also see: Link Worker Guidance.