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Bad housing wrecks lives
Housing & Children’s Services: A Joined up Approach
Peta Cubberley
Regional Children’s Coordinator (London & South East)
Shelter’s Children’s Service
Aims and Objectives
To demonstrate ways of preventing child homelessness and supporting children already homeless to achieve better outcomes.
To address the disadvantages that homeless children face in respect of their well-being and future life chances.
To secure the practice, policy and legal changes that will lead to far-reaching and long-term change for children who are homeless, or at risk of homelessness.
Newham Education Project: provides advice & support to children in TA, aiming to improve their educational attainment.
Bristol Children’s Project: takes referrals from Bristol City Council housing department, to provide tailored support for homeless & unsettled children.
Gloucester Peer Education Project: provides a Peer education & support service to vulnerable young people & those at risk of homelessness.
Regional Children’s Policy Coordinators: work towards facilitating & influencing improvements in policy & practice between Children’s Services departments and Housing Departments at Local Authority level.
Children’s Centre Advice Line: provides free, confidential, independent & expert housing advice to families in Children’s Centres.
Children’s Legal Service: will provide legal advice & representation to families with children, aiming to take forward test cases.
Shelter’s Children’s Service
What are the barriers…
…to joined up working between Housing & Children’s Services?
Lack of communication between departments/officers
Lack of understanding of each other’s responsibilities
Lack of time to share information
Lack of resources – human & financial
Lack of buy-in from senior management
These are some of the reasons we know are the obstacles to better joint working and they happen everywhere.
Overcoming these could save time and money in the long run – and some councils are finding effective solutions…
Examples of Joint Working…
More Communication
Joint Protocol between Housing & Children’s Services.
South Gloucester Council - operates a joint protocol between Housing and Children’s Services which outlines the responsibilities of both Housing & Social Care in assessing & responding to housing & support needs of young people.
LB Bexley – has established a joint protocol between Housing and Children’s Services whereby all homeless 16/17 year old applications go through Children’s Services. A social worker undertakes the assessment. This provides additional support for the young person
These examples provide staff with the responsibility & opportunity to talk to each other, share concerns & develop creative solutions.
Examples of Joint Working…
Time to Share Information
Common Assessment Framework & Lead Professional Status
Bristol City Council - introduced both the Common Assessment Framework & a Housing Needs Assessment across both Housing and all Children’s Services. Both departments refer families to Shelter’s Children’s Project in Bristol, and an agreement enables a Shelter worker to be the designated “Lead Professional” for certain children.
Oxfordshire County Council - introduced protocols enabling a Housing Officer to become the “Lead Professional” responsible for a child, ensuring that all services for that child are joined-up and working together, when housing is the most serious problem affecting that child’s well-being.
Examples of Joint Working…
Joint Funding
Providing a designated Social Worker for Homeless Children
LB Southwark – Housing & Children’s Services share the cost of a dedicated social worker whose job it is to support young homeless people and ensure they have access to all additional services they need, enabling them
Norwich Borough Council – A designated social worker and Housing Officers provide joint assessments on the needs of Intentionally Homeless families. This means that Social Services gets involved with the family earlier, and ensures provision of other preventative or intervention services to the family sooner, rather than later.
Examples of Joint Working…
Joined up thinking & resources – Housing, Children’s Services & Education.
Working with schools
Slough Borough Council – Slough’s education department supports Shelter’s work in secondary schools providing information, role-plays and games on housing issues as part of PSHE & citizenship education.
Rother District Council – has worked with E. Sussex education department & PCT to develop a curriculum rolled out in all Year 10s in its secondary schools. Housing, education & the PCT joint fund a professional theatre company to go into schools to educate young people on the risks of leaving home as part of PSHE & citizenship education.
The government’s Every Child Matters (ECM) framework should be revised to reflect the direct impact that housing has on all aspects of children’s life chances.
The Children Act 2004 should be amended to include a specific reference to include housing departments among those statutory agencies which need to work together to ensure ‘seamless’ support for children and families.
The introduction of a statutory duty on Local Authorities to assess and meet the needs of all children in homeless families living in Temporary Accommodation.
Provision of support/tenancy sustainment for families with children who have been deemed intentionally homeless.
A statutory duty on LA s to develop and publish protocols between housing and social services to ensure that homeless 16 & 17 year olds are adequately housed and supported.
What is still needed?
For any more details or informationplease contact:
Peta Cubberley
Regional Children’s Coordinator
(London & South East)
t: 0844 515 1272
m: 07824 436856
