Children's Residential Care

Description

Childrens homes care for children who can for various reasons, no longer live with their family or in Foster care. The purpose of Children's homes are to keep young people safe, give them consistent boundaries and routines, support them in accessing education, promote their health and wellbeing, and provide quality of life.

Eligibility

Residential care is available for all children who live in the Borough of Barnsley up to the age of 17 and are deemed to be 'Children in Need' or 'at risk'. Residential care would be offered if a placement with foster carers or extended family members were not possible.

Procedure

When concerns regarding the welfare of a young person are brought to the attention of Social Services a social worker will carry out an initial assessment to asses the situation, and the needs of the young person (this assessment will take no more than 7 working days). If the initial assessment identifies concerns that the young person is at risk of harm, then the social worker will carry out a core assessment to fully establish the needs of the young person (this assessment will take no more than 35 working days). If residential care is seen as the best way to protect the welfare of the young person, the social worker will establish which home has an available bed and make a referral to that home.
If a young person is at risk of immediate serious harm, and residential care is seen as the most appropriate option, the young person will be placed in a home prior to an initial or core assessment being completed. Once in the home an assessment of needs will take place.

Helplines

The contact numbers for Barnsley MBC Social Services Departments are as follows:

Wellington House Social Services Building: 01226 772442

Assessment Team East: 01226 775131

Assessment Team West: 01226 772423

Emergency Duty Team (Out of office hours support) 01226 715656

Charges/Fees

There is no charge to families should their child be placed in a Children's Home in Barnsley MBC.

Method of Payments Available

Not applicable.

Opening Times/Locations

We have a number of homes across the borough which can be accessed via the social work teams.

Please refer to the Related Links below for your nearest office.

How the customer can help

If a young person needs to be accommodated in a Children's Home the parents/carers can help this process by working in cooperation with the social work team throughout any assessment process.

Application form references

Parents/carers do not need to provide references or fill in application forms. A Social Services representative makes all placements following appropriate assessments and/or intervention.

Leaflets

On request the Commission for Social Inspection (CSCI) (tel: 0114 256 4530 Sheffield Area Office, Ground Floor Unit 3, Waterside Court, Bold Street Sheffield S9 2LR), will provide recent inspection reports and where appropriate the home's Statement of Purpose can be provided (a Statement of Purpose clearly sets out the type of service that is delivered at a specific home).

Distribution Points

If a member of the public wishes to see a recent inspection report they can contact the Commission for Social Care Inspection at:

Commission for Social Care Inspection
Ground floor Unit 3
Waterside Court
Bold Street
Sheffield
S92LR

Tel: 0114 2564530

A Statement of Purpose can be requested by contacting:
Wellington House Social Services Building at:

Wellington House
36 Wellington Street
Barnsley
S70 1WA
Tel: 01226 772442

Legislation

All Children's Homes are inspected by the Commission for Social Care Inspection. The Commission for Social Care Inspection ensures that all homes follow the Children's Homes Regulations 2001.

Websites

Please refer to the Related Links below for related websites.

Response Times / Next Steps

Once a parent/carer has made contact with Social Services they will receive a response within 24 hours of their initial contact.

Out of Hours Procedure

In the event of parents/carers needing support out of office hours they should contact:
The Emergency Duty Team (Out of office hours support)
Tel: 01226 715656

Owner Officer Contact Details

This area is not applicable to residential services.

Additional Notes

Not applicable.

Frequently Asked Questions

What sort of children live in Children's Homes?

Children enter residential care for various reasons, they may be in immediate danger of harm or they may have been harmed. Parents/carers may feel unable to cope with disruptive behaviour and request support from Social Services. In short the young people in residential care may have or are likely to suffer serious harm/abuse and/or neglect or might be exhibiting very challenging anti social behaviour.

How long do young people stay in Children's homes?

This can depend on the age and circumstances of the young person. Wherever possible we work to return the young person to their immediate or extended family. If this is not possible we will look for a foster care placement, however if a return to his/her family or into foster care is not an option, a young person can stay in care up until their eighteenth birthday.

Related Links:

• Commission for Social Care Inspection
• Social Services District Offices