Designated Key Person

The designated key person is a contact point for the child’s guardians or carers. As an advocate for Children in Care, they help to ensure children can share their views and have their voices heard. They encourage children’s ongoing learning and development, enabling them to achieve their full potential.

The designated key person is expected to:

• develop positive relationships with children and provide appropriate learning opportunities and experiences
• have a good understanding of legal expectations and corporate parenting responsibilities of the local authority to ensure children are kept safe
• communicate important information to staff team members and adhere to robust safeguarding policy and procedures

Working and communicating with others

As a key person, you'll have a number of people that you will need to regularly talk to about a child’s development. These include:

• Foster carers
• Social workers and others involved with social care
• Allocated Virtual School Senior Education Advisor or Caseworker
• Health Visitor
• Schools/Teachers
• Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO)
• Early Years Special Educational Needs Inclusion Team (EYSENIT)

Requirements

There will be a number of meetings that you'll need to attend and provide feedback in. These include:

• Personal Education Plan (PEP) meetings and six-monthly PEP reviews
• Review of arrangements meeting as organised by the Independent Reviewing Officer
• Transition meetings with school prior to starting school

The following will support all children who attend your provision, particularly those children who are in care:

• Behaviour, Confidentiality and Safeguarding policies
• Learning Journeys - Reflecting individual child’s progress and time in the setting shared with other settings, foster carers, further placements, and schools
• EYPP - Writing an EYPP action plan
• Develop a CIC policy and procedure for your setting

The local authority will arrange the PEP meeting in conjunction with the social worker, foster carer, and the childcare provider/childminder, where:

• the key person completes PEP forms including ‘All about me’
• the key person updates and reviews the EYPP action plan
• all PEP paperwork is completed prior to the PEP meeting
• PEP targets are agreed at the PEP meeting
• EYPP action plan is updated if necessary
• Review is in six months

The paperwork is sent out when the PEP meeting is confirmed in writing via Egress secure email. This will allow the key person time to complete it prior to the meeting.

It is important to undertake appropriate training in order to fully support Children in Care and be responsible for sharing key messages with staff members. This could include:

• attending regular safeguarding training
• updating knowledge of attachment and trauma awareness
• promoting positive behaviour

The Virtual School offers a variety of training opportunities throughout the year.

If another local authority has responsibility for the child you are caring for, they are responsible for organising and completing a PEP.

You will still be able to attend Leicestershire training.

If you have any worries or concerns, or need further support, please contact the child’s Social Worker or Virtual School Senior Education Advisor.