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What does Regulation 17 require?
Regulation 17 of the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 applies when a child is looked after by a local authority.
It requires the registered person to:
Placement plan, care plan and other plans
Several documents may shape a child’s care. They are connected, but they are not interchangeable.
Care plan
the local authority’s overarching plan for meeting the child’s needs and achieving permanence.
Health plan
arrangements for physical, emotional and mental health needs.
Personal Education Plan
education goals, support, attendance and progress.
Pathway plan
preparation and support for an eligible care leaver’s transition to adulthood.
Education, Health and Care plan
statutory special educational provision where the child has an EHC plan.
Risk assessments and safety plans
specific arrangements for known risks, such as going missing, exploitation, self-harm or unsafe contact.
Placement plan
the practical detail of how the placement will operate and how the child will be cared for each day.
The statutory term relevant plans has a specific definition in Regulation 2: placement plans, care plans, EHC plans, statements of special educational needs and specified youth justice plans. Health plans, Personal Education Plans, pathway plans and risk assessments may also shape care, but the list above is not itself the legal definition. Staff should understand both the statutory plans and the supporting documents needed for the individual child.
A placement plan should not become a generic house document. It should translate the child’s assessed needs, history, strengths, wishes and legal status into clear arrangements that staff can follow.
Who prepares the placement plan?
For a looked-after child, the placing local authority is responsible for the statutory placement plan. Regulation 17 requires the home to cooperate in agreeing and signing it.
That distinction matters. A provider should not quietly replace missing local authority planning with its own form and treat the duty as complete. The home may use an admission plan, matching assessment, risk assessment or internal care plan to organise its work, but those documents do not remove the placing authority’s responsibility.
The home should provide accurate information, challenge gaps and record its efforts to obtain a complete plan. Where the child is not looked after by a local authority, Regulation 18 contains a separate requirement for the registered person to prepare a placement plan.
What should be clear before admission?
Before accepting a planned placement, the home should understand enough to decide whether it can meet the child’s needs safely.
Important information includes:
- the reason for the placement and its intended outcomes
- the child’s legal status and who holds parental responsibility
- delegated decisions and who can consent to health care, activities and overnight stays
- education arrangements, transport and any special educational needs
- health conditions, allergies, prescriptions and current services
- communication needs, identity, culture, faith and preferred language
- family contact and relationships that should be maintained
- known safeguarding concerns and protective factors
- missing episodes, exploitation risks, self-harm or offending concerns
- restrictions, court orders and any authorised deprivation of liberty
- the child’s views about the move and what would help them feel safe
- the proposed review date and likely duration of the placement
- plans for introductions, arrival and a positive ending
The home’s matching decision should compare this information with its Statement of Purpose, staffing, other children already living there, location, skills and available services.
A placement should not be accepted because a bed is available. The central question is whether this home can provide the care described in the child’s plans without creating unmanageable risks for that child or anyone else.
Agreeing a practical day-to-day plan
A useful placement plan gives staff enough clarity to act consistently while allowing professional judgement.
It should explain:
- daily routines and individual preferences
- support with sleep, meals, personal care and appointments
- how staff will promote education and attendance
- arrangements for medication and health treatment
- safe family time, phone contact and digital communication
- transport responsibilities
- money, clothing, belongings and personal items
- positive behaviour support and agreed responses to distress
- missing-from-care prevention and response
- how the child can complain or request an advocate
- how achievements and progress will be recorded
- decisions the home may make and decisions that require local authority approval
- transition and ending arrangements
These details should reflect the individual child. Copying wording from another placement plan risks missing what is important and can produce unsafe assumptions.
What if the placement is made in an emergency?
Emergency placements can involve incomplete information and little preparation. That does not make planning optional.
The home should obtain the best available referral information, complete an immediate risk and matching decision, clarify essential consents and identify what is still outstanding. Under Regulation 9 of the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010, the placement plan should be prepared before placement. Where that is not reasonably practicable, it must be prepared within five working days of the start of the placement. This is the placing authority’s planning duty, not a five-day permission for the home to operate without essential safety information.
A written tracker can help by recording:
Each missing document or unanswered question
Who was asked to provide it
When the request was made
The interim control used while waiting
The escalation route
The date the information was received and reviewed
The home should also arrange an early multi-agency discussion where uncertainty affects safety, education, health, contact or the stability of the placement.For the placing authority's detailed duties and planning timescales, read the Children Act 1989 care planning, placement and case review guidance
Signing is not the same as informed agreement
A signature should show that the plan has been discussed and that responsibilities are understood. It should not be treated as a purely administrative task.
Before signing, the home should check that:
- the plan matches the referral information and recent decisions
- actions have named owners and realistic dates
- the staffing and services described can be delivered
- restrictions are lawful, necessary and clearly authorised
- health and medication information is current
- family contact arrangements are unambiguous
- contingency arrangements exist for foreseeable problems
- the child’s views are represented
- any disagreement is recorded rather than hidden
If the home cannot agree part of the plan, it should explain the concern in writing, propose a safer alternative and escalate the issue through the placing authority. Serious concerns may also need to be raised with the Independent Reviewing Officer.
Keeping the plan current
A placement plan should change when the child’s needs or circumstances change.
Triggers for review can include:
- a new diagnosis or medication
- a change in school or education provision
- repeated missing episodes
- a new safeguarding concern
- a court order or change in legal status
- altered family contact
- a serious incident
- a request from the child
- a change in the home’s staffing or service offer
- preparation for a move or leaving care
Staff should know where the current version is held. Superseded versions should remain identifiable, and updates should be communicated to the team through handovers, meetings and supervision.
Working effectively with the social worker
Regulation 17 specifically requires cooperation with the placing authority. Strong cooperation is visible in everyday practice.
The home should:
provide accurate updates rather than waiting for formal reviews
distinguish facts, the child’s words and professional analysis
notify the social worker promptly when risk or need changes
invite decisions rather than making unauthorised assumptions
follow up missing services and escalate delays
send a representative who knows the child to relevant meetings
record agreed actions and challenge drift
help the child prepare for meetings and express their wishes
Regulation 5 also expects homes to work with the wider system and challenge inadequate responses. Partnership does not mean passive agreement. It includes respectful, evidenced challenge when the child’s needs are not being met.
What will Ofsted look for?
Ofsted’s current inspection framework focuses on children’s experiences and progress rather than paperwork alone.
Inspectors may explore whether:
- the home had sufficient information before admission
- the placement was properly matched
- staff understand the child’s plans
- daily care reflects agreed outcomes
- the child was involved and knows what is happening
- the home works effectively with the social worker and other professionals
- gaps in services are challenged
- records show progress, decisions and learning
- moves into and out of the home are sensitively planned
A perfectly formatted plan will not compensate for care that ignores the child’s actual needs. Equally, warm relationships need to be supported by clear, lawful and coordinated planning.
Manager’s placement-plan audit
A manager can sample placement planning using these questions:
- Is the latest signed placement plan available?
- Can staff explain its main outcomes without reading it word for word?
- Are delegated decisions and consents clear?
- Does it match the care plan, health plan, PEP and risk assessments?
- Are outstanding actions assigned to named people?
- Has the child’s voice affected the plan?
- Are restrictions authorised and regularly reviewed?
- Does the record show constructive contact with the placing authority?
- Have changes been communicated to all relevant staff?
- Is the next review date clear?
The audit should lead to action, not simply a compliance score.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
It applies specifically to a child who is looked after by a local authority. Regulation 18 addresses placement planning for a child who is not looked after.
The placing authority is responsible for the statutory placement plan for a looked-after child. The home must cooperate in agreeing and signing it, provide requested information and, when requested by the authority, arrange attendance by a suitable representative at its meetings about the child.
The placement plan should be prepared before the move. If that is not reasonably practicable, the placing authority must prepare it within five working days of the start of the placement under Regulation 9 of the 2010 care planning regulations. Essential information for safe care must still be available at the start; the exception does not remove the home's matching and safeguarding responsibilities.
Children should be helped to understand decisions and contribute according to their age, understanding and communication needs. Sensitive information may require careful handling, but the child’s involvement should never be reduced to a token signature.
Record each attempt, identify the effect on the child, escalate through the social worker’s manager and involve the Independent Reviewing Officer where appropriate. Urgent safeguarding matters require immediate action through the relevant procedures.
No. Internal tools can support delivery, but they do not replace the placing authority’s statutory placement plan.
This guide explains the framework in England. It is not legal advice and should be read alongside the current legislation, statutory guidance and the child’s individual plans.