Homelessness a symptom of care? Caroline, Duncan, David, Gemma & Stuart

Who Cares? Scotland’s Dream A Scotland where all children and young people with experience of care are understood, believed in and given every opportunity to thrive. A place where we hold the same aspirations for care experienced children, as we do for our own. We treat them the same.

That homelessness is a symptom not a cause Why efforts to eradicate homelessness must focus on young people with experience of care Whether our services are geared to respond to the needs of young people with care experience The solution lies in the continuity of stable, nurturing and caring relationships What we’ll reflect on

Corporate Parents: Scottish Ministers Local Authorities Children’s Hearings Scotland Principal Reporter Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration Health boardsHealthcare Improvement Scotland Scottish Qualifications AuthoritySkills Development Scotland Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland Scottish Social Services CouncilScottish Sports Council Chief Constable of the Police Service of Scotland Scottish Police AuthorityScottish Fire and Rescue Service Scottish Court ServiceScottish Legal Aid Board Commissioner for Children and Young People in Scotland Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland Scottish Housing RegulatorBòrd na Gàidhlig Creative Scotland Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council A body which is a “post-16 education body” or a “regional strategic body” for the purposes of the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 2005

Health & well-being: 1/2 of all looked after children will experience mental health issues, compared to 1 in 10 of all 5 to 16 year olds. Education: 1% of care leavers go onto university, compared to 37% of all young people. 0.5% of children looked after at home leave school with 5 or more standard grades, compared to 56% of the general children population. Offending: Approximately 28% of the adult prison population have come from a care background. Employability: No more than 30% will sustain a positive destination after care and are likely to face long-term unemployment and permanent exclusion from the labour market. Premature Death: Care leavers are up to 20X more likely to die prematurely. What type of parents are we?

The role of housing At least 1/3 of all care leavers will experience homelessness An estimated third of homeless people were formerly in care (The Centre for Social Justice 2008)

Young people with care experience & youth participation

What Care Leavers can achieve…

In their words Important to understand how their care journey affects their outcomes upon leaving care. They want care done with them instead of to them.

Getting it right – access & sustainment Care Leavers stories Caroline, Gemma, Stuart & David Care Leavers stories Caroline, Gemma, Stuart & David

The role of housing Key needs: Financial Resources Support Connections Return to care when needed Key needs: Financial Resources Support Connections Return to care when needed

Upcoming challenges & opportunities Positive developments : Homelessness (Abolition of Priority Need Test) (Scotland) Order 2012, will give an estimated 3,000 more people a year the right to settled accommodation. The Housing Support Services (Homelessness) (Scotland) Regulations Children & Young People Bill proposals. However: How much will this prevent care leavers from becoming homeless if we don’t change how we view and work with them?

The challenges for us Need: C&YP Bill to legislate for care leavers Right to access support up to 25-years-old Need: Care leavers only leave their care setting care when they feel prepared Need: To increase the types & locations of accommodation available for care leavers to access Need: Care leavers to be supported to sustain their accommodation by people of their choosing Need: To make services attractive enough to prevent care leavers from going off the radar – leads to sofa surfing / sleeping on the street / not accessing help The most important need of all: To ensure that young people who leave care don’t feel they are alone ; have no options to fall back on; have no alternatives ; that those who cared for them whilst they were being ‘looked after’ haven’t turned their back on them for good.

How do we do this? Let’s not assume what we are doing is right, but that anything is possible Let’s work within our sector, and across other sectors: Health, Education, Employability etc Let’s listen to young people with care experience and create solutions with them Let’s start from what is working for young people in care and build on those relationships which give stability, nurture and care for young people over the long-term Start by taking the pledge to listen: /pledge/ Our pledge to you: If you believe young people with care experience can help you look at your work differently then please get in touch. We are committed to improving their lives.

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