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.

Care Act 2014: Implications for Councils with Housing

The Care Act 2014 provides a new statutory framework for adult care and support which, with limited exceptions, came into effect in April 2015. It applies primarily to unitary and county councils but has significant implications for all housing authorities. We summarise the implications of the Act for councils with housing:

Key points

·         Local authorities responsible for care and support are given an explicit duty to promote the well-being of every adult. The definition of well-being includes "suitability of living accommodation"

·         Local authorities responsible for care and support are expected to integrate their services with those provided by the NHS and other health-related services, including housing

·         Local authorities are required to provide an information and advice service on care and support, and related matters, including housing and finance

·         All local authorities, including housing authorities, are required to cooperate with each other in relation to the provision of care and support. This includes a duty on each local authority to secure cooperation between adult social care, housing, public health and children's services.

Read more on the ARCH website.

How to Tackle Digital Exclusion

For providers the potential cost savings of, for example, moving customers to online repair forms are lost if customers can't access digital services. Jobs, cheaper bills, education and training and cheaper groceries are all available online, not to mention social networking which can tackle social exclusion.  Three years ago Home Group started running silver surfer sessions in sheltered housing schemes. They were a hit, with customers learning how to use social media and find information using Google. A few customers even went out and bought their own laptops. However it soon became clear that forking out £200 – £300 for a laptop and the monthly broadband fees needed to go online were beyond the means of many. What was the point in moving services online if the very people they were designed for couldn't afford to access them? That's when Home Group made a £600,000 commitment to install free communal computers in every single one of the care and support services that wanted it.  Read more on the Guardian website.