Placing a child in Derby – out of authority placements
Overview
Before placing children in Derby, please email cicplacementnotification@derby.gov.uk. As required by regulations please include your assessment of the child’s needs and care plan. You will need to attach a completed notification of placement into Derby form.
Please also confirm if the child is then placed and make sure we have details of the child’s social worker, placement, their school, GP and any specialist services arranged for the child. Please also alert us to any risk issues for the child and if the Youth Offending Service is involved.
Changing a child's placement arrangements
It is important that we are notified when a child leaves the city or ceases to be looked after, including where an adoption order is made.
Please email cicplacementnotification@derby.gov.uk if a child's placement arrangements change.
Services for looked after children placed in Derby
Looked after children placed in Derby by other local authorities can access a range of services, including:
- Education
- Childcare and nursery places
- Children's Centres
- Health Services
- Youth Offending Services
- Children in Care Council
- Safeguarding
Educational support
Applying for school places
If a looked after child is moving into Derby the child’s Social Worker should contact our Admissions team as soon as possible to discuss the application process. To make an application you can apply online using the Online Admissions Application form. For more information you can email admissions@derby.gov.uk.
Support is there in school for looked after children?
All of our schools, academies and colleges have a responsibility to make sure that all children and young people can achieve their full potential.
All schools in Derby have a Designated Teacher for children in care. Their statutory role is to promote the educational achievement of all children in care in their school, regardless of their responsible authority.
Derby Virtual School
Derby has a Virtual School for children in care. Derby Virtual School works with schools, Residential Homes, Health, the Admissions Team, the Advisory Teacher for Exclusions and the School Improvement Service to monitor, challenge, support and provide intervention to ensure good educational outcomes for children in care. Derby Virtual School works together with other local authorities and will support any school in Derby with queries relating to children on their roll who may be placed in Derby by another local authority.
Derby Virtual School also supports adoptive parents and adopted children where possible.
For more information, please contact the Derby Virtual School headteacher on 01332 640341, the Virtual School specialist education officer on 01332 641439 or the Virtual School project support officer on 01332 640346.
Childcare
Derby has lots of childcare providers, offering places for looked after children , including free places for two to four year olds. This includes local authority nursery classes, private nurseries, voluntary sector groups and child minders, as well as before/after school and holiday care for school age children. Information is available on the Family hub.
Children's centres
There are 18 children's centres in Derby. The centres also offer a range of services activities for children, usually up to 5 years, and their families, such as:
- Stay and play groups
- Baby clinics
- Breastfeeding groups
- Adult learning courses
- Jobcentre Plus sessions
- Childcare
This can be particularly helpful for adoptive or new foster carers, and can support the development of young children in care. Find out more on our Children's Centres page.
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
Children in care who have special educational needs (SEN) should already have an Education, Health and Care plan or equivalent prior to placement in Derby. Derby has a range of services for children with disabilities or SEN, some of which will be available to children in the care of other authorities and some of which may be available at a charge. Details are available on the SEN pages.
Derby has a number of special schools and specialist provision in mainstream schools. On making an application for a school place, the child’s educational needs must be identified and their assessment and plan shared. Further information is available by emailing SEN.admin@derby.gov.uk.
Health services
It is important that all children are registered with a local GP prior to or immediately on placement in the city, unless their previous GP is still willing and able to provide cover in the city. The health needs of children in care are monitored by a Health Visitor or school nurse.
The Children in Care Nursing Team must also be notified by the local authority or previous health provider when a child in care moves into the city:
Sinfin Health Centre
Arleston Lane
Derby DE24 3DS
Telephone: 01332 888042
The Children in Care Nursing Team undertake review health assessments for children that are placed in Derby. In line with national tariff found in the Department of Health’s Payment by Results (PbR) Guidance for 2013-14 there is a charge for this service.
Specialist health services are available locally, including mental health provision through CAMHS. Where a child has known needs it is the responsibility of the previous provider to ensure continuation of, and where applicable funding for, these services prior to placement.
Youth Offending Service
Derby City Youth Offending Service (YOS) works with young offenders aged between 10 and 17 who are the subject of Court Orders. The YOS also work on a voluntary basis with young people who have been identified as being at risk of offending and some who are subject of Youth Restorative Disposals. Where a child moving into the city is already involved with YOS, the previous service should contact Derby YOS to discuss management of the case. For more information, visit the Youth Offending pages.
Safeguarding
Derby has a Local Safeguarding Children Board which has in place safeguarding procedures (jointly with Derbyshire), offers training and ensures effective safeguarding practice across the city. Placements in the city comply with local procedures and where there are any concerns, placing social workers should make themselves familiar with these procedures on the Derby and Derbyshire Safeguarding Children Partnership.
Where there is a safeguarding concern about a child in care placed in Derby, Derby Social Care service will undertake any S47 investigation required, in consultation with the child’s social worker, until or unless it is agreed that the placing authority will take responsibility. This can be accessed through the First Contact Team:
- During normal working days between 9am and 5pm on telephone 01332 641172.
- Out of hours telephone 01332 956606.
Tackling child sexual exploitation
Derby has a well-established, multi-agency approach to children who are vulnerable to child sexual exploitation. The strategy and guidance is available on the DSCB website, along with a risk assessment tool to be used where there are concerns about a child and CSE. Any child assessed as a medium or high risk should be referred for a local CSE multi-agency meeting by telephoning 01332 717818 and any intelligence about potential perpetrators or other concerns about CSE should be reported to the Police as Operation Liberty using the form on the DSCB website.
Missing children
Where children go missing from placements in Derby the local procedure should be followed. Missing children are considered at a monthly panel and multi-agency responses reviewed to ensure appropriate plans are in place to reduce missing episodes and ensure children’s safety.
Children in Care Council (CIC)
The Derby Children in Care Council is for children and young people in Derby who are in or leaving care. The council meets regularly to make decisions on behalf of all young people in care in Derby.
Currently, our Children in Care Council is only open to Derby looked after children, although we are considering how to make the council accessible to other children and young people placed in Derby.