Service Detail

Telephone number: 024 7696 1442

Referral Criteria: Professional
 

What does it mean to be ‘Looked After?’

There are currently around 720 children who are looked after by Coventry County Council.

If you are under the age of 18 years old, you are said to be 'looked after' when you have been provided with somewhere to live by Coventry Social Services for more than 24 hours.

This could be when:

• Your parents or guardians have agreed with a Social Care team that you will be cared for away from home; this may be for a short, medium or longer period of time
• There is no responsible caring adult available to look after you permanently
• You are being cared for away from home because of a court order
• You are placed for adoption but you have not yet been legally adopted by your new permanent family
• Children may be placed with kinship carers (family), network carers (extended family/friends), Foster Carers depending on individual circumstances.
• There are also twelve children's residential units in Coventry where some children live. Not all are managed by Coventry City Council but Coventry’s Looked After young people may be living in these, with young people from other areas.
• Children and young people who are looked after might live within the city of Coventry and sometimes further away in Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Birmingham...in fact anywhere there is a Carer who can meet your needs.

 

Who are we?

The Children Looked After Service is provided in collaboration with children and young people who are Looked After aged until their 18^th birthday.

The Medical team (Doctors) support Children Looked After by carrying out statutory Initial health assessments (sometimes called medicals) to assess any health needs that may be required as you come into care. They will also write a report, which provides potential Adopters with a summary of children and young people’s health situation; which is required for Adoption procedures.

The Children Looked After Nurses support young people to engage with Universal, Targeted & Specialist health services, focusing on their specific health needs and undertaking statutory Health Reviews. These Reviews are undertaken six monthly for under five year olds and annually for those five years of age and older. Sometimes, looked after children’s Health Visitors or School Nurses may undertake their Reviews.

The Looked After Administration Team will contact Foster Carers or Residential staff to make appointments for children to be brought for their statutory health assessments. Children Looked After Social Workers are responsible for ensuring the child/young person attends their appointment; and are therefore advised of the dates planned for appointments. This may include attending the health assessment, where appropriate.Individual, confidential appointments are provided in clinics and sometimes at home or Residential Unit or through a ‘drop-in’ clinic.

Health assessments cover:

• Growth and development advice
• Sexual Health advice and information including support to access appropriate Sexual Health services as required
• Advice to young people who are self-harming or need emotional and mental health advice and guidance. This will usually be via referral to the Dimensions’ website and/or a referral to Rise (the children and young people's mental health service) Children Looked After Service, where required.
• Enable support for stop smoking and drug use/dependency issues
• Provide advice or refer to other health professionals and voluntary agencies that can offer specialised advice and support such as Rise, Compass and Respect Yourself

We can also support:

• Liaison with Education and Local Authority staff, such as Social Workers
• Support the interface between Foster Carers or Residential unit staff with the young person when required
• Advice in relation to issues that are of a safeguarding nature
• Training and advice to Foster Carers and social care individuals and teams
   

What happens after the Health Assessment?

At the end of the Initial or Review, a Health Summary and new or reviewed Health Care Plan will be provided to inform the child or young person, their Foster Carer, Social Worker (SW) and Independent Reviewing Officer (I.R.O.) what their health needs are and what actions those people need to take to ensure Children Looked After / young people are kept well. The child/ young person’s Health Visitor or School Nurse will also receive a copy to help access relevant services and sometimes referrals will be requested via the looked after child’s GP etc.

The Health Summary and Care Plan forms part of the looked after child/young person’s overall Care Plan, held by Social Care; and the Social Worker and IRO should review any outstanding health needs alongside their overall Care Plan every three months, whilst they remain in care.