Out of Area Children in Care Notifications England

The Care Planning, Placement and Case Review statutory guidance and the associated regulations updated in 2013, outline duties on LAs to notify other LAs if they place a child in care within their area. It also requires children’s homes to notify their host LA when a child is placed with them by another authority. Where a child who is not in care is placed in a health or education placement for three months or more, or with that intention, the placing authority or organisation also has a duty to notify the host LA prior to placement or as soon as practicable thereafter. The host LA, supported by relevant agencies in both the host and home authority must ensure that education and health partners are provided with information about placements of children in care into/out of their area.

ADCS has collated email addresses for each host LA, accessible via the list below.

If you wish to update the details listed here, please contact gary.dumbarton@adcs.org.uk. If you have queries about a certain area or placement, please contact the area directly using the details below or via the DCS contact or general local authority number as appropriate. ADCS does not hold any further information other than that listed below.

In collaboration with the College of Policing and NPCC we would like to encourage LA colleagues to also notify the relevant police force when a child is being placed out of area, based on the needs/risk of the child, this should include the risk of the child going missing It is hoped that this additional notification channel will assist in the safeguarding of some of the most vulnerable children in the care system.