Transitions within care

Ngākau whakairo

How am I ensuring the right of te tamaiti or rangatahi to be well informed and fully participate in the decisions about their transition to a new home?

Ngākau whakairo practice framework domain

Whai mātauranga

What knowledge and whose voices are informing the support being provided to te tamaiti or rangatahi and their whānau or family through the transition of te tamaiti or rangatahi to a new home?

Whai mātauranga practice framework domain

Whai oranga

How does te tamaiti or rangatahi define their oranga? How might this be impacted when transitioning to a new home?

Whai oranga practice framework domain

Whai pūkenga

What skills help me to develop a shared understanding of the needs of te tamaiti or rangatahi throughout their transition, particularly new needs arising from the transition?

Whai pūkenga practice framework domain

Whai ākona

How are my own ideas and experiences of significant change in my own life impacting on my approach to managing transitions with this tamaiti or rangatahi?  

Whai ākona practice framework domain

When te tamaiti or rangatahi is moving between regions, you must also apply the 'Casework responsibilities when our work involves more than 1 site' policy.

Guidance: The journey through residence for tamariki and rangatahi

Policy: Ensuring a safe, stable and loving home for tamariki in care

Policy: Casework responsibilities when our work involves more than 1 site

Before te tamaiti or rangatahi moves, we must:

• develop, or review and update, the All About Me plan – in particular, consider how the needs of te tamaiti or rangatahi will be impacted by the transition
• ensure any new information and analysis, including safety needs and concerns, are accurately recorded in the All About Me plan, the assessment report and the safety plan, if appropriate
• where appropriate, ensure the needs of te tamaiti or rangatahi are incorporated in the caregiver support plan
• assess the likely effects of the placement on te tamaiti or rangatahi and the household, including the effect on other tamariki and other whānau or family members within the home.

Organising my practice

Policy: Assessment

The plan must:

• be informed by the assessed needs of te tamaiti or rangatahi
• detail how we will support te tamaiti or rangatahi throughout and after the transition, including recording any steps needed to help te tamaiti or rangatahi and caregivers prepare for the transition
• state what we are doing to maintain and strengthen the connections between te tamaiti or rangatahi and their whānau or family throughout the transition
• record any actions current caregivers, new caregivers, residence kaimahi or others need to take to meet the needs of te tamaiti or rangatahi and support the transition
• state how often te tamaiti or rangatahi will be visited and by whom
• take into consideration the culture of te tamaiti or rangatahi, such as supporting tikanga and values important to te tamaiti or rangatahi, or involving people, services or organisations that understand the culture of te tamaiti or rangatahi
• be framed by oranga and respond to the safety, protection and wellbeing of te tamaiti or rangatahi in a restorative way
• ensure potential safety needs and concerns are identified and understood by the family, whānau, hapū, iwi or family group, and develop a plan to address the safety needs and concerns
• ensure the relevant information, including any safety plan, is:
  • developed in partnership with te tamaiti or rangatahi and their whānau or family and they’ve been given the opportunity to take ownership of and respond to the proposed plan
  • understood, supported and agreed to by te tamaiti or rangatahi and their whānau or family
  • shared with family, whānau, hapū, iwi, family group and other key people to support the transition, including sharing the plan with other regions as necessary.

The caregiver support plan must be reviewed alongside the All About Me plan.

Policy: Working with tamariki and rangatahi in residences

Policy: Caregiver support

Transitioning between placements

Policy: All About Me plan

Policy: Casework responsibilities when our work involves more than 1 site

Transitioning between placements

Information and visits for prospective placements

Right to personal belongings

Storing personal belongings

Maintaining a record of important life events

Policy: Working with tamariki and rangatahi in residences

The journey through residences for tamariki and rangatahi

Understanding the support needed for the return home of te tamaiti or rangatahi

The decision to return a tamaiti or rangatahi home to a parent or other adult who has previously cared for them must be based on a robust understanding of their needs by using our models, tools and resources. This is articulated in an approved assessment report.

When te tamaiti or rangatahi returns home, we must:

• find out the views of te tamaiti or rangatahi about returning home and what they think they will need for it to be successful if they wish to return home, and record this
• consider what te tamaiti or rangatahi and their whānau or family need to support the return home
• organise and facilitate return home meetings
• visit as agreed in their All About Me plan
• explain to te tamaiti or rangatahi what supports are available to them and what they are entitled to when they return home.

Organising my practice

Return home meetings

At least two calendar weeks prior to te tamaiti or rangatahi returning home, the social worker for te tamaiti or rangatahi must organise and facilitate a hui ā-whānau meeting and ensure that the services and supports needed are in place both prior to and after te tamaiti or rangatahi has returned home.

The meeting must include:

• te tamaiti or rangatahi (where appropriate)
• the parent or parent figure
• whānau care service provider
• other whānau or family group
• the lawyer for child, and
• key professionals who are working with te tamaiti or rangatahi and their parent or parent figure – for example, teacher for te tamaiti or rangatahi, medical professionals, NGO support workers, and current caregiver if appropriate.

The social worker must use the child and family consult as a way to help them understand, identify and consider indicators of harm, alongside the strengths and resources of whānau or family.

Within four calendar weeks of te tamaiti or rangatahi returning home, the social worker for te tamaiti or rangatahi must organise and facilitate a return home meeting with the above people to discuss the transition progress.

The return home meeting must occur as required to review the plan and progress of the transition until the custody order can be discharged.

The reviews when tamariki have returned home will focus on ensuring that necessary supports are available to te tamaiti or rangatahi and their whānau or family, to ensure wellbeing and safety and so that custody orders only remain in place as long as is necessary.

Policy: Ensuring a safe, stable and loving home for tamariki in care

Policy: All About Me plan

Return home visits

When te tamaiti or rangatahi has returned home, the social worker must assess and record the frequency of visits based on the needs of te tamaiti or rangatahi in the All About Me plan. The first four weeks following the return home is a time of increased vulnerability. Consider visiting te tamaiti or rangatahi at least once a week for the first four weeks following the return. The frequency of visits will not be reduced until the post-return home meeting has been held.

Each visit with te tamaiti or rangatahi must involve efforts to engage with them on their own so they are able to speak freely about any worries they may have.

Determining the frequency of visits to tamariki and rangatahi in care

Policy: Visiting and engaging with tamariki in care

Policy: Participation of tamariki

Practice standard: See and engage tamariki

Where possible, we must:

• explain to te tamaiti or rangatahi the reasons they’re moving
• ensure an opportunity for whakawātea occurs so that te tamaiti or rangatahi is cleared from their current place before moving (a whakawātea is about acknowledging that te tamaiti or rangatahi is now leaving and moving on to a new care arrangement)
• talk with te tamaiti or rangatahi about their right to be supported, even in the most urgent circumstances
• provide te tamaiti or rangatahi with as much information as we can on what to expect during the transition
• make every effort to ensure the information is provided in a way that can be easily understood by them
• explain to te tamaiti or rangatahi what the house routines are in a way that makes sense to them
• talk with them about any safety plans that are in place to support their understanding of how to ensure everyone is safe
• explain what supports or help are available and let them think about what would help them most
• talk with them about other supports or help they would like
• maintain whakapapa relationships by ensuring whānau or family, siblings and significant others know where te tamaiti or rangatahi is moving to and why – unless this isn't in the best interests of te tamaiti or rangatahi
• give caregivers an explanation of the reasons why the move is happening – unless this isn't in the best interests of te tamaiti or rangatahi
• consider any immediate safety needs or concerns arising from the transition
• record any identified safety needs or concerns and how they will be addressed in a safety plan, and share this plan as needed
• talk with te tamaiti or rangatahi about the move and how they feel about the move, and record this
• ensure the caregiver is appropriately supported and a caregiver support plan is created as soon as possible.

Any steps outlined in this policy that we're unable to take before the move must be carried out as soon as we can after the move.

Sharing information about tamariki and rangatahi