Overnight Stays

Supported lodgings hosts may need a break from time to time and may need to avail themselves of respite provision. A young person may also want to have an overnight stay at some point or times with friends and family.

It is important that the young person’s social worker reaches agreement at the time of the placement what is delegated around overnight stays and what can be agreed with the young person:

• Are overnight stays allowed with friends and family and when does the social worker need to be notified;
• Are there any agreements that need to be in place with the young person? For example the young person needs to be contactable by phone and the host needs to be aware of where the young person is staying and the supported lodgings host informed of when they will be back;
• Are there any safeguarding consideration that need to be addressed around family and friends?

All this needs to be detailed in the Placement Plan and updated to meet the changing needs of the young person such as when friendship groups or circumstances around the family change.

Young people should have the same opportunities to enjoy leisure time activities and be supported to have overnight stays with friends and their families unless there is a good reason for this not to happen.

Where there are exceptional reasons when you need to seek the permission of the young person’s social worker or a manager or place specific restrictions on permitting a young person to stay overnight with friends, this should be because of reasons necessary to safeguard the young person. If there is such a reason, the required arrangements should then be appropriately recorded and these should be explained to the young person in an appropriate way.

If respite for young people is needed, then it should be agreed with the young person and should be planned.