Looked after children in placements with siblings - Find a freedom of information request

For time periods 01.01.2020-01.01.2025 in one year increments. If this is not possible then for 01.01.2024-01.01.2025 or the current year.

1. What is your total budget for looked after children's services?

2. What is your budget for placements?

3. How many children do you look after?

4. How many of those children are in sibling groups (including half siblings and step siblings) of:

- two siblings

- three siblings

- four siblings

- five or more siblings

5. How many of these sibling groups are in a placement together in care

6. What is the decision making process for matching children with placements

7. Is this different for sibling groups? If yes how?

8. What are some of the factors when it comes to sibling group placement decision making?

9. For those who are not placed together, for how many sibling groups is contact maintained?

10. How is this facilitated?

1.

2.

3.

All children who have been in care at some point during the period, including those not in a sibling group

4.

Sibling groups being other children who have been in care in the same period who are brother/ sister, step brother/ sister, or half-brother/sister.

5.

'are in a placement' interpreted as how many groups or children are in the same placement together, where the placement is the last one in the period.

6. Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) always start with the wishes and feelings of the child, for example if they have expressed a desire to be in a certain location it would explore that location first. LCC ensure it listens to the child's voice and wherever possible take their interests into consideration when identifying a suitable carer.

LCC look at the valuing care tool for the children (if this is available) and the valuing care tool prospective foster carers. If both the child's tool and the Foster Carer tools are available, it will overlay them to see where the carers skills fit with the child's needs. If the children's tool is not available, it will look at the identified needs and consider how any available carers may be able to meet these needs again using their valuing care tool to identify their skills. The supervising social worker of the foster carers are consulted to establish if they feel the carer/s have the required skills and knowledge to meet the identified needs of the child/ren.

If the prospective carer has other children in placement LCC will also consult with the children's social worker.

LCC endeavour to place children close to their local community to reduce disruption to education and leisure pursuits. This can also often mean that family time works in a way that is best for the child as it reducing travel.

LCC has a profile for each foster carer and this is shared with the children wherever possible before they come to the family home. It also hold information sharing meetings when exploring permanence.

LCC engage with relevant stakeholders and partner agencies to ensure that relevant information is shared to inform decision making. It holds placement planning meetings, wherever possible before the placement is made. LCC has also had foster carers attend hospital for a child's discharge planning meeting when the child had identified care needs.

LCC aim to identify any support needs prior to a placement starting and ensure that appropriate support is in place.

7. LCC start from a position of always wanting to keep siblings together unless it has been identified that there are inherent risks in keeping them together. If there is a very large sibling group and the chances of finding a carer who can take all children is limited, it explores with the children's social worker what combinations will work best for the children and try and identify suitable carers from this and those that are potentially geographically closer together are explored in order to facilitate family time between siblings.

When planning around permanence a together or apart assessment is always completed.

8.

• The wishes and feelings of the child/ren
• Is there enough space in the carers home.
• The dynamics of the sibling relationship
• The dynamics of the fostering household.
• The completion of a together or apart assessment.
• Bedroom sharing risk assessments are completed when needed
• The carers capacity to meet the needs of all children in the home which includes larger sibling groups and also their own children where relevant.

9. For each individual child and in accordance with their care plan.

10. This varies from foster carers providing opportunities through to the family time service facilitating this. LCC also run events for all carers where siblings get the opportunity to meet up with one another.