Interim care plan

An interim care plan is a temporary care plan. It will be put in place during care proceedings until the court is able to make a final decision.

An interim care plan will cover most of the same things as a full care plan, such as where the child will live and who with, and how their needs will be met. It will also set out plans for contact between the child and the parents. An independent reviewing officer must be appointed before the first review of the child’s interim care plan.

When they apply for an interim care order, children’s services must have prepared a social work statement. This will set out their concerns to the court. But a key document for the court is the interim care plan for the child. Children’s services must be able to show the court that they have discussed the interim plan with the child’s parents (and the child, where possible), to seek their views, which should be reflected in the plan. The interim care plan must properly reflect and respect the child’s racial, cultural and religious heritage.