Looked After Children

To request an Initial Health Assessment (IHA) and a Review Health Assessment (RHA) a referral is made from Northamptonshire County Council (NCC) to Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust (NHFT).

Health Assessments are a legal requirement, and are directed by The Department of Education and The Department for Health, for all Looked after Children. There are strict time frames that have to be adhered to:

• An IHA must be done within 25 days of referral from NCC.
• A RHA must be done on the anniversary of the child entering care, every six months when the child is under five years old or annually between the ages of five and seventeen.

As much information as possible should be provided by NCC to ensure all health assessments are done efficiently and meet the health needs of the child of young person who is involved.

What is an IHA?

An Initial Health Assessment (IHA) is done by an Advanced Nurse Practitioner and other colleagues in the Community Paediatric team.

When a child becomes a Looked After Child the NCC will need to refer the child. As part of this referral we need the following information:

1. Placement details
2. Background information
3. Signed valid consent – this will depend on the legal status of the child and can be signed by a person with parental responsibility or the local authority.

Once we have this information we will book an appointment with the child via their carer. These appointments must be attended by the child’s social work or duty social worker where possible.

Appointments are held in Northampton General Hospital (NGH), Isebrook Hospital in Wellingborough and St.Mary’s Hospital in Kettering.

Once the child or young person has been seen, the clinician will write a report which will include Parts A and B which remain within the health record, Part C which is a summary report and health recommendations for the child’s care plan.

This will be sent to the LAC Health Admin Team at NCC and placed on Care First as the social worker will have responsibility to create the health care plan. It will also go to the Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) / reviewing offer who has a duty to review the care plan.

The social worker will give a copy of the health recommendation to the child or young person and their carer. This should be reviewed at each LAC review to ensure all health needs are met.

What is an RHA?

A Review Health Assessment (RHA) is done by one of our Specialist Nurses.

When a child or young person has been seen, the specialist nurse will write a report which will include Parts A and B which remain within the health record, Part C which is a summary report and health recommendations for the child’s care plan.

This will be sent to the LAC Health Admin Team at NCC and placed on Care First as the social worker will have responsibility to create the health care plan. It will also go to the Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) / reviewing offer who has a duty to review the care plan.

The social worker will give a copy of the health recommendation to the child or young person and their carer. This should be reviewed at each LAC review to ensure all health needs are met.

The final RHA will be held after the young person’s 17^th birthday and will include a Health Passport which has details of significant medical history that will important for the young person to have independently as they reach adulthood.