Regulation 36 Appointment of an independent visitor
England and Wales
As part of its arrangements for supervising C's well-being, the responsible authority must consider whether it is appropriate to appoint an independent visitor to visit C wherever C is living in any case where—
C has not lived with a parent or a person with parental responsibility during the previous 12 months,
contact between C and a parent or a person with parental responsibility has not occurred or has been infrequent, or
it would be in C's best interests to do so.
When making a decision under paragraph (1), the responsible authority must consider—
whether the appointment of an independent visitor would make a positive contribution to C's well-being;
where C is placed at a distance from home, or where C is placed in the area of another local authority or a local authority in England, whether the placement makes it difficult to maintain contact arrangements;
whether C is able to go out independently or whether C experiences difficulties in communicating or with building positive relationships;
whether C is likely to engage in behaviour which may put C at risk of forming inappropriate relationships;
where C is placed in a children's home, whether C's well-being would be promoted by the opportunity to establish a relationship with an independent visitor.