How TIFA Life manages a placement
How we assess, staff, record and review a placement, from referral to move-on.
Practice principles
These principles apply to referral decisions, day-to-day support and management review.
Safety
Risks, restrictions, location, peer mix, staffing and escalation arrangements are reviewed before an offer is made.
Named responsibility
Each placement has a named Service Manager, key worker and senior escalation route.
Young person involvement
The young person’s own views, culture and goals are part of the assessment and every review.
Written records
Decisions, daily records, incidents, actions and reports are recorded in TIFA Connect and assigned to an owner.
Trauma-informed practice
Staff are expected to understand triggers, respond consistently and use de-escalation rather than punitive responses.
Review and follow-up
Placement delivery, exceptions and agreed goals are reviewed on a defined cadence, with outstanding work tracked.
Checks before a placement is accepted
A senior manager reviews the four areas below. A concern must be resolved, made a condition of the offer or recorded as the reason for declining.
Safeguarding
Current risks, missing and exploitation information, restrictions, communication needs and escalation contacts.
Staffing
Required ratio, night arrangements, named team, worker checks, competence, induction and on-call cover.
Property
Location, peer compatibility, bedroom and communal space, safety records, transport and property readiness.
Delivery
Day-one plan, health and education arrangements, reporting frequency, review dates and commissioner contacts.
Referral to ongoing review
The same process applies to planned referrals and urgent referrals. Urgency can shorten the timetable, but it does not remove the suitability checks.
- 01
Receive
Log the referral and confirm any missing documents or urgent deadlines.
- 02
Assess
Review the young person, risks, proposed location, peers, property and staffing model.
- 03
Decide
Issue a written accept or decline, with assumptions, conditions and proposed cost.
- 04
Mobilise
Confirm the property, rota, support plan, contacts, system access and arrival arrangements.
- 05
Review
Complete the early placement review and track actions, incidents, reports and changes thereafter.
What the support plan covers
The content and level of support are based on the referral, assessment and agreed placement plan.
Daily living
Routines, cooking, budgeting and the tenancy skills that come with a first home.
Health and wellbeing
Registration and access to relevant health services, agreed appointments and emotional support.
Education and employment
Attendance, applications, training, work experience and barriers recorded against the young person’s plan.
Relationships and community
Family contact, professional relationships, cultural and faith needs, activities and local connections.
Safeguarding
Missing episodes, exploitation risk, disclosures and the follow-up each one requires.
Move-on
Future accommodation, applications, affordability, practical readiness and the support required after transition.
Records and management oversight
TIFA Connect holds the placement record and highlights overdue or missing work to the responsible manager.
Daily records
Logs, management checks, young-person check-ins and follow-up actions.
Safeguarding
Incidents, missing episodes, notifications, review and outstanding actions.
Staffing
Rota, attendance, worker compliance, supervision and cover exceptions.
Reports
Due dates, completion, commissioner issue and any overdue work.
This page describes the approach as a commissioner sees it. The same arrangement, described for the person living in it, is on what young people can expect.
Discuss a placement
Send the referral information you already have. We will request anything else required to make a safe decision.