Vulnerable Children Forced Into Homelessness As Local Authorities Ignore Child Protection Laws

Vulnerable children are being forced into homelessness because local authorities are routinely flouting child protection laws, lawyers and charities have warned. Families with young children have been denied emergency accommodation by their local council and subsequently forced out onto the streets, spending nights in A&E waiting rooms, night buses and police stations. Under the laws set out in the Children’s Act, local authorities are legally obliged to provide accommodation for minors, to prevent vulnerable children ending up on the streets. Read more on the Independent website.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/children-homelessness-local-authorities-ignore-child-protection-laws-immigrants-a8237321.html

More Than 120,000 Children Now In Temporary Accommodation

More than 120,000 children are now in temporary accommodation – a 66% rise since the government came to power.  Responding to questions on the figure, Marcus Jones MP, under-secretary of state for communities and local government, said the number of children in temporary accommodation is below its 2006 peak. “But we are certainly not complacent, that is why we have put £402 million into the flexible homelessness support grant over the next two years so that local areas can plan strategically to reduce the number of people in temporary accommodation,” Jones said. Jones also cited homelessness prevention as at the centre of the government’s approach to protecting the most vulnerable. Read more on 24housing.

Charity Criticises Fewer Safe Places for Teenagers in Crisis

Practitioners are struggling to find safe places for vulnerable children due to fewer services, funding cuts and higher thresholds for intervention, according to a report by Railway Children.  An estimated 18,000 children who run away this year will sleep rough or with someone they’ve just met, many because they do not have somewhere safe to go when they need it most. The report follows the closure of all but one refuge for young runaways in the UK and evidence of patchy use of local authority emergency accommodation.  Read more on the Railway Children website.

Homelessness, Violent Crime and Debt on the Rise

Welfare reforms are being linked to a rise in homelessness, violent crime, people in debt and the number of children relying on food banks to get by in Kent, a shock report has suggested. The reforms are also being linked to a rise in the number of vulnerable children being placed in Kent from other areas, notably London. It cautions the findings are “fairly tentative”, but there is “potential for increased vulnerability of some residents” resulting from the changes. It says the number of people who are homeless in Kent rose by 25% in the first three months of the year, while the number of families temporarily in bed and breakfast accommodation was up 22%, compared with the figure for the same period the year before. Read more at Kentonline.

Housing Groups Slam Bedroom Tax Ruling

Housing groups and charities have been left ‘deeply disappointed’ after the High Court dismissed a legal challenge to the government’s bedroom tax. The judicial review was brought by 10 families with disabled or vulnerable children. They argued the penalty discriminates against claimants who are disabled or have disabled family members. The court ruled the government’s policy is lawful. However the court also said new laws must be introduced to provide for disabled children affected by the penalty.  Read more on Inside Housing.

Bedroom Tax Breaches Right to Family Life

Liberty has announced it will seek Judicial Review of the Government’s controversial new “bedroom tax” policy based on the impact on separated families with shared custody of children. The announcement comes days before the High Court is due to rule whether a challenge based on the effect on disabled people should be allowed to proceed.  Earlier this month a separate challenge to the penalty was brought on behalf of 10 vulnerable and disabled children who will be affected by the policy. The High Court is expected to rule on whether this challenge can proceed within the next few days.  Read more on the Liberty website.

Children's Rights Cited In Legal Challenge to 'Bedroom Tax'

Ten disabled and vulnerable children have launched legal proceedings against work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith to fight penalties for the under-occupation of social housing.  Judicial review proceedings have been issued to the High Court on behalf of the children, who claim the new regulations have failed to take proper account of the needs of vulnerable children and are discriminatory. All ten of the children will be expected to share a bedroom with their siblings, but all of them have been assessed as needing their own bedrooms. This is due to their disabilities, or because they are at risk of violence from a sibling, or because of the trauma they have experienced as a result of abuse and domestic violence. Read more on the Guardian website.

Research into Children Who Sleep Rough

A research project into runaway and homeless children who sleep rough will focus on vulnerable children who are victims of sexual exploitation or abuse, and who may also be perpetrators of crime to survive on the streets in cities across Europe.  The researchers will interview children from the streets to find out about their experiences and needs, and work with organisations, such as social workers, health and education staff, police and victim support, to share their findings.   The research team at Wolverhampton University will work with partners in the UK, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Spain to assess the similarities and differences between the children in the countries.  Read more on 24dash.