I write to make an enquiry in relation to social work practice of Childrens Services at Wokingham in relation to S17 Financial Payments.

1. Where a child is subject to an Interim Care Order and is placed at home with a parent, please advise whether the social worker writing the Local Authority’s Final Statement/Care Plan should detail the reasons why S17 Financial Payments were made during the course of the proceedings, the amount/frequency, along with information relevant to why the Local Authority will continue to make S17 Financial Payments or cease to do so upon the conclusion of the proceedings.

I understand details of financial assistance should be communicated within planning documents and within review meetings, to which all persons with Parental Responsibility are involved and have access to, unless there is an assessment recommending that doing so places either the child or the recipient parent at risk of harm.

In circumstances where matters are in Court, information will be shared with all parties, as directed by the Court, unless doing so will be considered to place the child or any other person at risk of harm, in which case, the court directions will be required to redact relevant information.
We do not report on this. Section 17 payments are discretionary payments for’ children in need’. Financial payments for children in care (including interim care) do not fall under Section 17. Care plans are specific to the individual child and so it’s not possible to give a generic answer to the question as it’s not something we would hold data on.