In the action bar of all placements you have icons to; indicate the applicant did not start in the placement, close the placement (once you know the applicant has left/is leaving), add a rebate to the placement (see the Placement Rebates article), and for contract and temporary placement to extend them (please see the Extending Placements article)
Much to your frustration, there will always be occasions where you have made a placement, and then for whatever reason, your applicant decides they don’t want to start the job. To allow you to keep track that a placement was actually made, you can mark a placement as did not start. This way you will have evidence the placement was created, but it will not affect any reporting.
Permanent placements are automatically deemed to be closed once the end date has passed. However, contract and temporary placements need to be closed by the users. Those with end dates that have passed, which have not been formally closed will appear with the status Ended (Open). The act of formally closing the placement is not only an indication that the placement is finished, but also that you no longer need to maintain the placement (e.g. offering extensions). Closing a contract/temporary placement is also a shortcut to end the placement early.