Mobile Children and Families
Last updated: January 9, 2009
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
Local authorities, the police, youth offending service and the health service have a specific ‘duty to co-operate’ to ensure better outcomes and to improve the well-being of all children, including children who move frequently.
In order to provide mobile families with responsive consistent, high quality services Children’s Services and partner agencies must develop and support a culture of joint responsibility and provision for all children (rather than a culture of ‘local authority area services for local authority area children’).
The children and families who move home most frequently between authority’s are homeless families, asylum seekers and refugees, gypsy and traveller families, looked after children and families experiencing domestic violence.
Many homeless households spend time living in temporary accommodation e.g.: in Bed and Breakfast accommodation and have children and/or a pregnant woman.
Frequent movers can find it difficult to access the services they need. For those already socially excluded, moving frequently can increase the effects of their exclusion.
Given the nature of families moving frequently between local authority areas there are a number of potentially confusing issues of responsibilities for agencies and therefore this procedure:
- defines the terms ‘originating authority’ as the local authority area where the family previously lived, and the ‘receiving authority’ as the local authority area to which the family has moved
- does not distinguish between temporary or permanent moves or to the nature of this accommodation in which the child and/or family are living – e.g. private or public housing
- addresses Children’s social care case and other responsibilities in relation to children in need, including those in need of protection. Other local authority services and other agencies will have arrangements determined by different legislation and guidance
- excludes LA housing provision or Children’s social care provision of housing or subsistence costs included in a child in need plan. These remain the responsibility of the originating authority until the housing issue is resolved, although the receiving authority may become responsible for other parts of service delivery.
1.i Negotiated alternatives
In exceptional cases, in response to the circumstances of an individual child, a Children’s social care senior officer may negotiate arrangements to those set out here, with her/his equivalent in another local authority area based on the child’s best interests.
Such negotiated departure from this procedure should be confirmed in writing by both the originating and receiving local authority area within 48 hours of the agreement being made.
