Brexit Red Tape 'Puts Looked-After Children At Risk Of Homelessness'

Ahead of Brexit, all EU nationals living in the UK need to prove their immigration status under the EU Settlement Scheme in order to remain in the country. After the scheme was launched, it was billed as being "simple and straightforward". But research by immigration charity Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit has found otherwise. According to the charity, the scheme is "designed for people leading ordered, uncomplicated lives who have the evidence to prove it". It is not for "children with disrupted life histories who have little ownership of documents that show their nationality or where they have been living". Read more on the CYPN website.

https://www.cypnow.co.uk/news/article/brexit-red-tape-puts-looked-after-children-at-risk-of-homelessness

Young Adult Carers' Housing Needs Still Overlooked

The housing needs of young adult carers are still being overlooked, according to a review by education and training think-tank the Learning & Work Institute. The institute warns that "unsustainable caring arrangements and breakdowns in family relationships" combined with a general shortage of housing options means some young adult carers are living in situations "which have a serious impact on their physical, emotional and mental health and wellbeing".  Despite this, "young adult carers do not appear to be recognised as a group requiring specific housing-related support," the policy review concludes. There is also no specific data on the extent of homelessness among the group. Read more on the Children & Young People Now website.

https://www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/2007132/young-adult-carers-housing-needs-still-overlooked

Number Of Children Housed In B&Bs Rises 18 Per Cent

The number of households with children living in bed and breakfast (B&B) accommodation in England rose by 18 per cent in the last year, according to official statistics. Figures released by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government reveal that there were 2,420 households with children in B&Bs at 31 December 2018 - 34.7 percent of all households living in such accommodation - up from 2,050 at the same time in 2017. Of those, 810 households had been living in a B&B for more than the statutory limit of six weeks, although this was an eight per cent decrease on the previous year. Read more on the CYPN website.

https://www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/2006766/number-of-children-housed-in-b-bs-rises-18-per-cent

Domestic Abuse Victims To Have Priority For Social Housing

Domestic abuse victims should be made a priority for social housing, amid concerns that women and children fleeing abusers are being forced to live in unsafe temporary accommodation. Under updated statutory guidance the government is calling on councils to ensure that victims in refuges and other temporary housing are prioritised for social housing places. This would help victims feel more settled and also free up refuge spaces for other victims, the guidance states. The move follows a report by Women's Aid in June, which found that women and children fleeing domestic violence are being forced to sleep rough or "sofa surf" due to a lack of support from councils. Read more on the CYPN website.

https://www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/2006064/domestic-abuse-victims-to-have-priority-for-social-housing

Housing Barriers Threaten Young Offender Rehabilitation

Young offenders leaving custody face a battle to access suitable housing, heightening the risk they will continue to be involved in crime, a report has warned. The report by Nacro and youth homelessness charity Centrepoint found that accessing safe and stable accommodation is vital to reducing reoffending when young people leave custody. But too often they face multiple barriers to finding somewhere suitable to stay. Researchers found poor-quality resettlement planning before young people leave custody to be an issue. They said that plans are often not carried out far enough in advance and fail to effectively take into account young people's needs. Read more on the Children & Young People Now website.

https://www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/2005415/housing-barriers-threaten-young-offender-rehabilitation-study-finds

Third Of Homeless Young Offenders 'In Unsafe Accommodation'

One in three homeless 16- and 17-year-olds who are in contact with youth offending teams (YOTs) are being placed in unsafe or unsuitable accommodation. A report by the Probation Inspectorate flagged up particular concerns about children sharing hostels or bed and breakfast accommodation with adult strangers. Inspectors found that while a minority of young people received excellent support, too many had been given a roof over their heads with little other than a few hours a week support from visiting professionals. The report reveals that the issue was not down to a lack of funding, rather a result of poor or incomplete assessments, a lack of joined-up working or recognition of children's wider needs. There was also a tendency to place children as though they were adults. Read more on the CYPN website.

Call To Exempt Care Leavers From Housing Benefit Cap

The government is being urged to exclude vulnerable young care leavers living in supported accommodation from its impending cap on social housing benefits. The cap on housing benefit will come into force for those in social housing from April 2018 with a decision on whether this will also apply this to those in supported housing expected next month.  But the Care Leavers' Association is calling on ministers to ensure care leavers in such accommodation are exempt. Failure to do so could leave them at serious risk of homelessness, the charity warns. Read more on the Children & Young People Now website.

Homelessness Among Children Rises By 15,000

The number of homeless children and young people in the UK has risen by 15,000 over the past year, it has emerged.  Homelessness charity Shelter analysed latest figures on the use of temporary accommodation by families across England, Wales and Scotland. This shows that at the end of September 2015, there were 105,251 children living in temporary accommodation across the three countries, about 15,000 more than in September 2014. The use of bed and breakfast accommodation has also risen. The use of this form of accommodation rose 25 per cent, from 2,154 families with children at the end of June 2014 to 2,700 at the end of June 2015.  Since June 2010, when the figure stood at 817, the number of families with children living in bed and breakfast accommodation has trebled.  Read more on the Children & Young People Now website.

Shadow Chancellor Promises Action On Homeless Families

Labour will provide accommodation for 100,000 children in homeless families, shadow chancellor John McDonnell has pledged. Speaking at the annual Labour Party conference in Brighton, McDonnell said ongoing austerity measures are hitting families hard. He said austerity is “not just a word” for the 100,000 children in homeless families who live in bed and breakfast or temporary accommodation. On behalf of this party I give those children my solemn promise that when we return to government we will build you all a decent and secure home in which to live,” he said. Figures published last week show that, as of the end of June, 66,980 individuals or families were registered as having no home of their own - an increase of 12 per cent from the same date last year.

A total of 99,080 children were among those living in temporary accommodation.   Read more on the Children & Young People Now website.

Lack Of Support To Blame For Care Leaver Housing Problems

Children's services departments are not doing enough to secure good quality housing support for care leavers and other vulnerable teenagers, The Children's Society has said.  Research carried out for the charity's On Your Own Now report found half of the 118 providers used by local authorities to house vulnerable 16 to 17-year-olds have evicted or asked a child to move at short notice. Substance misuse, mental health problems, violence and financial problems were the main reasons for eviction arising. But housing providers said children's services departments are failing to ensure the right support from youth workers and safeguarding teams is in place that could prevent problems arising. More than half (55 per cent) of housing providers reported children’s services did not include them in planning support for the young people in their care.  Read more on the Children & Young People Now website.

Half of Homeless Teenagers Turned Away By Councils

Councils are flouting the law by turning away half of the homeless teenagers who ask them for help. In its report on teenage homelessness The Children’s Society found that only half of homeless 16- and 17-year-olds who asked councils for help received an assessment, even though they have a legal obligation to provide this. Based on responses from 259 councils, the charity also found that just one in five 16- and 17-year-olds who presented themselves as homeless were accommodated. Additionally, only one in five councils offers advocacy support to young people who present themselves as homeless. Read more on the Children & Young People Now website.

Judges Criticise Benefit Cap but Reject Bid To Overturn the Policy

The Supreme Court has criticised the government’s benefit cap for depriving children of the “basic necessities of life” but has ruled out overturning the policy. The criticism came in a Supreme Court divided judgment in the case of two single mothers who were victims of domestic violence and said the cap was in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights.  Although the appeal by the two women to overturn the policy was dismissed by a majority of three to two, three of the judges were concerned it was in contravention of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child requirement for governments to prioritise the interests of children. Read more on the Children & Young People Now website.

LGBT Young People ‘More Likely To Be Homeless’

Lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) young people are more likely to be homeless compared with their non-LGBT peers, a report has claimed.  According to the report by the Albert Kennedy Trust, the top three reasons for LGBT young people becoming homeless include parental rejection, abuse within the family and aggression and violence within the family.
 The report, which aimed to explore the experiences of LGBT young people aged between 16 and 25 in the UK, also found only 13 per cent of housing providers recognised the unique needs of LGBT young people, with only 3.9 per cent having fully implemented initiatives to address those needs.
Read more on the Children & Young People Now website.

Homelessness Support Fails Families with Young Children

Support for the estimated 15,700 babies living in homeless households needs to urgently improve, a damning report by the NSPCC and Anna Freud Centre has found. The report, An Unstable Start: Spotlight on Homelessness, details how poor co-ordination of local services is leaving homeless parents of children aged up to two struggling to access support and stable housing. Many are forced to live in unsuitable bed and breakfast accommodation and hostels, or be put up by family and friends.  Among the recommendations is for the government to bring in a "gold standard" for the high-quality support a homelessness service should provide for pregnant women and families with babies. Read more on the Children & Young People Now website.

Councils ‘Fail To Protect Young Homeless People’

Children are being left at risk of sexual exploitation because councils are turning them away when they are homeless, a damning report has claimed. A study found that many councils are failing to fulfil their statutory duty to help young people. Under the Children Act 1989 local authority children’s services departments must assess the needs of any child in their area who is homeless or at risk of homelessness, and take them into care if there is no parent or other carer able to provide suitable accommodation. The report claims many children seeking help were either turned away or offered inadequate support.   Read more on the Children & Young People Now website.

Benefit Cap Fuels Housing Problems

Research commissioned by the DWP into the impact of the benefit cap found that out of eight case study local authority areas, two that were in London were both concerned about finding accommodation for homeless families.  The report found that both London authorities in the study had experienced increased problems in finding accommodation that could be afforded below the cap for families that had presented as homeless and were being put up in temporary accommodation.  Read more on the Children & Young People Now website.

B&B Use for Families Rises Again

The number of families forced to live in emergency bed and breakfast accommodation for more than six weeks has increased five-fold since the coalition government came to power. On 30 September 2,100 households with children were in B&B accommodation.  Statistics released by the CLG show that, as of 30 September this year, there were 790 families who had spent more than six weeks in B&B accommodation, compared to just 150 at the end of December 2010. The latest figure represents a four per cent increase since 30 June this year, when the figure stood at 760. In 2012, then housing minister Grant Shapps chastised councils when the figure trebled from 150 in December 2010 to 450 in December 2011. Read more on the Children & Young People Now website.

More Children Live In Poverty Now Than 50 Years Ago

More children grow up in poverty today than 50 years ago, according to a report by the National Children’s Bureau.   The children’s charity’s Greater Expectations report compared the lives of today’s 11-year-olds with historical data. It found that 3.5 million were living in poverty now, compared to two million in 1969. The charity also found that there had been no significant change in the gap between rich and poor children when it came to health or educational outcomes. Read more on the Children & Young People Now website.

Minister Pledges to Review Foster Carer 'Bedroom Tax'

The minister for children and families has pledged to review housing benefit changes that will leave some foster carers out of pocket.  Edward Timpson told delegates at the National Children and Adults Services Conference he is planning to speak to the DWP about the so-called bedroom tax.  The minister said he was aware that the changes could have a negative impact on foster carers, adding that he is working with the charity the Fostering Network to try and achieve exemptions for foster carers using spare rooms for foster children. “We managed to make some progress in the changes that were made to make foster carers one of the groups that would benefit from the housing discretionary budget,” Timpson said. “But there is still some concern that won’t go far enough in every situation.”  Read more on the Children and Young People Now website.

Homeless Families to Be Offered One-Bedroom Accommodation

Westminster council is under fire again following attempts to reduce the number of homeless families living in temporary accommodation in the area by downgrading its housing offer to parents of young children.  The council has decided to reduce its minimum offer of accommodation to families with a child under the age of three from a two-bedroom to a one-bedroom home.  The change, affecting both single parents and couples, is designed to cut the number of families living in temporary accommodation.  Families that refuse the offer of a one-bedroom home will lose their right to be housed by the council.  Read more on the Children and Young People Now website.