Regulation 14: The Care Planning Standard: Referrals, Matching, Placement Plans, Reviews, Stability, Transitions and Positive Endings

The standard is supported by Regulation 14 of the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the DfE Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations including the Quality Standards. It also intersects with the Children Act 1989 care planning framework, the Placement of Children Regulations, and the care leavers legislation.

Care Plans and Placement Plans

A common source of confusion is the distinction between a care plan and a placement plan. The care plan is owned by the placing authority and sets out the overall plan for the child's care, including long-term goals, permanence plans, and the services the child needs. The placement plan is owned by the home in partnership with the placing authority and sets out how the home will meet the child's needs on a day-to-day basis.

The placement plan should be informed by the care plan but should not duplicate it. It should focus on what the home will do: how it will meet the child's needs, manage risks, promote contact, support education, and respond to specific behaviours or challenges. The placement plan should be agreed before placement where reasonably practicable, or within five working days where not.

The Statement of Purpose as the First Gate

Regulation 14 requires that children are only admitted where their needs fall within the range described in the home's Statement of Purpose. The Statement of Purpose is the first admission gate. If a child's needs do not fall within the range the home says it can meet, the home should not admit the child, regardless of occupancy pressure or the wishes of the placing authority.

This means the Statement of Purpose must be specific about the range of needs the home can meet. A vague Statement of Purpose that claims to meet all needs is not helpful and may lead to inappropriate admissions. The home should be honest about what it can and cannot provide, and should refer to the Statement of Purpose when considering referrals.

Referrals and Matching

The referral and matching process is where the home decides whether a child's needs can be met. The home should have a clear referral process that considers the child's history, needs, risks, and the impact on children already living in the home. The process should involve the registered manager and should be documented.

Matching is not just about whether the home has a vacant bed. It is about whether the child's needs can be met, whether the child will be compatible with the children already living there, and whether the home has the staff, skills, and resources to provide the care the child needs. A poor match can destabilise the home and harm both the new child and the children already there.

Information Before Admission

The home must have sufficient information before admitting a child. This includes the child's care plan, risk assessment, health information, education information, and any history of trauma, abuse, or behavioural challenges. The placing authority should provide this information as part of the referral process. If the information is insufficient, the home should request more before admitting the child.

Admitting a child without sufficient information is a risk to the child and to the home. The home may not be prepared for the child's needs, may not have the right staff or resources in place, and may not be able to provide the care the child requires. The home should be willing to say no if the information is not available.

Impact on Children Already Living There

Every new admission affects the children already living in the home. The matching process should consider the impact on existing children, including their needs, risks, and relationships. A new admission that brings additional risk or disrupts the existing group can harm the children already there.

The home should talk to existing children about new admissions where appropriate, and should monitor the impact after a new child arrives. If the admission is destabilising, the home should take action to support all the children and, if necessary, review whether the placement can continue.

Commercial Occupancy Pressure

Occupancy pressure is a real issue for many homes. A vacant bed means lost income, and the pressure to fill beds can lead to inappropriate admissions. The home must resist this pressure. Admitting a child whose needs the home cannot meet is a failure of Regulation 14, regardless of the financial pressure.

The provider and responsible individual should understand that inappropriate admissions are a regulatory risk. A home that admits children it cannot meet the needs of is likely to face inspection criticism, safeguarding incidents, and placement breakdown. The short-term financial gain of filling a bed is not worth the long-term risk.

Emergency Placements

Emergency placements are a reality of children's residential care. Children may need a place at short notice, and the home may be asked to admit a child outside the normal referral process. Even in emergencies, the home must consider whether the child's needs can be met and whether the home has sufficient information and capacity.

The placement plan for an emergency admission should be completed as soon as possible after admission, and the home should gather the information it needs quickly. The emergency nature of the placement does not remove the duty to plan the care, manage risks, and follow the child's care plan once it is available.

Placement Plans and Timing

The placement plan should be agreed before placement where reasonably practicable. Where that is not reasonably practicable, it should be agreed within five working days of the start of the placement. The plan should be reviewed and updated as the child's needs change or as circumstances change.

The placement plan is not a one-off document. It should be a living record of how the home is meeting the child's needs, updated as the child develops, as risks change, and as the home learns more about what works for the child.

Delegated Authority

Delegated authority is the process by which the placing authority delegates day-to-day decisions to the home. This might include decisions about activities, contact, education, and routine medical care. The level of delegation should be agreed in the placement plan and should be clear to all parties.

Lack of clarity about delegated authority is a common source of frustration for homes and placing authorities. The home should know what decisions it can make, what decisions it must refer, and who to contact when a decision is needed that falls outside its delegated authority.

Children's Views

Regulation 14 connects to Regulation 7 (views, wishes, and feelings). Children should be involved in decisions about their care, including the placement plan, contact arrangements, and the day-to-day decisions that affect them. The home should find ways to involve children that are appropriate to their age, understanding, and circumstances.

Child-centred question

Did anyone ask you what you thought before you moved in here, and do they listen to what you think now that you are here?

Arrival and Welcome

The child's arrival at the home is a critical moment. A good welcome can set the tone for the placement; a poor one can create anxiety and resistance from the start. The home should have a planned welcome process that helps the child settle, understand the home, and feel safe.

The welcome should be individualised, not generic. It should take account of the child's history, their understanding of why they are moving, their anxieties, and their preferences. The home should have information ready for the child, should introduce them to the other children and staff, and should help them understand what to expect in the first few days.

Statutory Reviews

The child's care plan is reviewed at statutory reviews, usually chaired by an independent reviewing officer (IRO). The home should participate in these reviews, provide information about the child's progress, and ensure that the care plan and placement plan remain aligned. The home should also ensure that the child is supported to participate in their review.

If the home believes the care plan is not working or needs to be changed, it should raise this at the review. The home should not wait for the next scheduled review if there are urgent concerns; it should contact the placing authority and request an early review.

When the Home Must Request a Review

Regulation 14 specifies circumstances in which the home must contact the placing authority and request a review of the child's care plan. These include: where the child is at risk of harm, where the care may not meet the child's needs, where the child is persistently absent without permission, and where the child asks for a review.

Permanence and Placement Stability

Placement stability is a key outcome of care planning. Children who experience multiple placement breakdowns are more likely to have poor outcomes. The home should work to create stability: by matching carefully, by planning the placement well, by responding to challenges before they become crises, and by working with the placing authority to address issues that threaten the placement.

Permanence does not always mean the child stays in the home long-term. For some children, the home is a stepping stone to a more permanent placement, such as a return to family, foster care, or independent living. The home should understand what permanence means for each individual child and should work towards it.

Transitions and Endings

Regulation 14 requires that children are prepared for leaving the home or moving into adult care. Transitions and endings are as important as arrivals. A planned, well-managed ending can help the child move on positively; an unplanned, chaotic ending can cause lasting harm.

The home should plan endings carefully, involving the child, the placing authority, and the receiving placement. The child should have time to say goodbye, should understand what is happening, and should feel that the home cared about their move. Even unplanned endings should be managed as well as possible, with the child's welfare at the centre.

Inspection Relevance

Inspectors may explore how the home plans and manages placements, how it makes admission decisions, and how it supports children through transitions. Evidence may include referral records, placement plans, matching decisions, review participation, and the child's own account of their experience. The SCCIF considers whether children receive effectively planned care and whether they have positive experiences of arriving and moving on.

The home should not assume that having placement plans on file demonstrates effective care planning. Inspectors are likely to focus on the lived experience of children: whether they feel the placement was right for them, whether they were involved in decisions, and whether the home supported them through transitions.

Tools to Help You

Manager's Checklist

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