Let me get this straight - they claim that every single placement they make they fail to do a financial assessment until 8 weeks post placement? Even when the placement is permanent? Let me see if I can find something about this, because if that's really the case it sounds like they're skirting the spirit if not the letter of the guidelines.
CRAG says
1.028 Admissions to residential accommodation should be deemed temporary or permanent depending solely on the needs and circumstances of individual service users. As such councils’ or users' resources should play no part in the decision. Knowing whether they are permanent or temporary will matter a great deal to residents and carers. Hence decisions about the status of admission should be made, agreed and shared, openly with them - or others on their behalf if appropriate - and put in writing.
Permanent residents
4.006 Where one, or both, members of a couple, or civil partnership, are admitted permanently to residential accommodation the LA must assess their ability to contribute towards the charge according to their individual resources following the rules laid down in Sections 5 to 13.
This 8 week period of grace the LA appears to believe they have applies ONLY to temporary residents. Mention of the 8 weeks appears only under the section relating to such temporary residents, which is why I believe that they are not conforming even to the letter of the guidlines, let alone the spirit.
The appropriate section is as follows
Charging for temporary stay
Up to 8 weeks
3.005 An assessment of ability to pay is not required for the first eight weeks of a temporary stay. It will be for the local authority to decide in each case whether to make an assessment. Where the local authority decides it is appropriate to make an assessment, follow the guidance in Sections 4 to 13. Where no assessment is made, the charge is the amount it appears reasonable to the LA for the resident to pay.
You'll note that it comes under "charging for temporary stay", not under charging for permanent stay.
It depends on how confrontational you feel. In your position I would go back to the duty social worker and ask for the council's guidelines in writing, since what you have been told seems to contravene CRAG (and I'd tell them that as well). Ask them under what stautory regulations they are permitted to define everyone as temporary residents, even those for whom this is an intended permanent placement. After all, section 1.028 of CRAG indicates that this determination should be made solely on the basis of the service users situation - having a "one size fit all" approach seem on the face of it to contravene that, so surely
they must have some regulation they can produce that indicates that they are allowed to ignore this. You don't, of course, have to be as sarcastic as I have been - just make them aware that you are aware that their approach does not match published guidlines, so you are seeking clarification.