Facing the possibility of having nowhere to live or having to leave home suddenly can only be a very difficult, stressful and confusing time. It is also normal for you to feel lonely at times like this and to not be sure what to do or know who can help you.

There are lots of reasons why you might be having housing problems when you are 16 or 17 years old. It could be that you might have fallen out with your family, or have problems that make it hard to settle down and live with your family.

Whatever the reason help is available and it’s important for you to know that you have a legal right to it because the law in England says 16 and 17 year olds have a right to help and protection.

This means if you find yourself homeless in Telford or are at risk of being homeless then Telford Council has a legal duty to help you and it’s important you receive the right support and advice so you fully understand what your options are so you can make the right decisions.

You don’t have to be sleeping on the streets to be homeless. Here are a few examples of when we may think you are homeless:

  • You have nowhere to live and no one to look after you.
  • You are staying in temporary accommodation such as a hostel, hotel, B&B or squat.
  • You cannot stay in your home because of violence and abuse.
  • You are ‘sofa surfing’ or staying temporarily with friends or relatives.
  • We may also think you are homeless if there is a chance that you might be within the next 56 days.

If you already have a social worker tell them about your situation. This would be the best person to talk to initially as they already know you and your family and they will be able to make sure you get the right help and support.

If you can’t do that or if you don’t have a social worker contact Telford Council’s Family Connect or the Council’s Housing Solutions Team.

Family Connect (Children’s Services)

Family Connect is part of Children’s Services who work with children and young people to assess all of their needs and make sure they are safe. This includes providing a home to homeless young people aged 16 or 17. If you contact Family Connect a social worker will talk to you so they can begin to understand your individual circumstances and work out with you the best way to help and support you. In an emergency they can help you find somewhere safe for you to stay the night.

Phone: 01952 385385 Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.
Email: familyconnect@telford.gov.uk

Housing Solutions Team

Housing Solutions Officers help people who are homeless. This includes homeless young people aged 16 or 17. If you contact Housing Solutions they too will ask questions to be able to understand your circumstances. If they think you are homeless they will tell Family Connect who will make contact with you. If it is an emergency they can find you somewhere safe to stay that night.

Phone: 01952 381925 Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.

Emergency Duty Team

When the Council Offices are closed contact this team if you need urgent help and support.

Phone: 01952 676500.

Children’s Services and Housing Solutions Team work together to help you and if you are homeless they will make sure you have somewhere to live and have the support you need.

  • Very soon after talking to a social worker from Family Connect a Children’s Social Worker and a Housing Officer will arrange to meet with you. We call this meeting a Joint Housing Assessment. The purpose of this is to determine if you are homeless or not and what help you need immediately. They do this assessment together so that you don’t have to keep speaking to lots of different people and between them will be able to answer any questions you have at this time.
  • Following this meeting the social worker will need to do a Child and Family Assessment. This assessment finds out more about you and your family and is our way of trying to understand what is happening in your life and what help and support you need so that we can put the right plan together with you.
  • The social worker will ask you what you think about your circumstances, how you feel, what your worries are and what you want to happen. All of this is a very important part of the Child and Family Assessment. So it is important that you meet with and tell the social worker what is going on for you – not just about the difficulties you are facing but also what in your life is going well because they will want to help you strengthen this.
  • They will need to ask you some questions about why you can’t live at home and will likely want to speak to somebody in your family to see if we can help you to get things sorted out at home, if it is safe for you to do so.
  • This assessment takes a little longer that the Joint Housing Assessment. We will make sure you have a safe place to stay whilst the assessment is taking place. It could be finished within 10 days but should never take longer than 45 days.

  • It maybe decided that you can remain or return to your family. We know how difficult it is to live by yourself when you are 16 or 17 so our priority will always be to help you to live with your family wherever possible and if it is safe for you do so. We have specially trained people who can you help support you and your family with this.
  • If the assessment finds that going back home is not achievable at this time and your Social Worker finds you to be a Child in Need, (this includes needing accommodation) you have several options about how to get help.

You can choose the option that is best for you:

  1. You can choose to be a Cared for Child this means Children’s Services will care for you and provide you with accommodation.
  2. You can choose to be supported by Children’s Services as a Child in Need. You will still be able to make a homeless application to the Housing Solutions Team. Children’s Services and Housing Solution Team will work together to make sure you have accommodation and the help and support you need.
  3. You can decline help and support from Children’s Services and make a homeless application to the Housing Solutions Team where they will try to prevent your homelessness and help you to find accommodation.

Help to make a choice

It is very important that you really understand each option as this will affect the help and support you are entitled to after you turn 18. There is lot for you to think about.

So as well as having your social worker we will make sure that you have an independent person to talk to who can support you to understand what your rights are and what the different options mean for you now and in the future.

As a Cared for Child Telford & Wrekin Council will be responsible for looking after you and making sure you are safe and well. You will have a social worker and together you will develop a Care Plan. This details what you need and how different agencies can support you in partnership with your family (if appropriate).

Your social worker will find you a ‘placement’ this is somewhere to stay with support. For example, this could be accommodation with support workers who are based in the building and where other young people live as well, or you might stay with a foster family, it depends on what best meets your needs.

You will get help with

  • Your education, employment and training.
  • Learning the skills you need to live independently, like understanding a tenancy, practical skills to maintain your home and help with budgeting your money.
  • Support in keeping up relationships with your family members.
  • Your health and wellbeing.

You will be expected to attend regular meetings and reviews of your Care Plan and you will be allocated an Independent Reviewing Officer who makes sure everything in your Care Plan keeps on track and will also meet with you as they want to know from you what your wishes and feelings are.

How long will I be supported as a Cared for Child?

You will receive help and support from a social worker until you are 18. If you have been a Cared for Child for 13 weeks or more before turning 18, you are entitled to help and support as a Care Leaver.

Who pays for my accommodation as a Cared for Child?

Children’s Services will take care of this. They will also give you a set allowance to make sure you have money for your day to day needs which means you do not need to apply for benefits to help with this. For some people this will be the first time that they have had to manage their own money. We will support you to learn budgeting skills if you need this help.

Not everybody likes the idea of becoming a Cared for Child. If you decide you do not want to become a Cared for Child you will still get support from Children’s Services along with support from Housing Solutions Team.

You will still be able to make a homeless application to the Housing Solution Team.

The social worker will work alongside you to put a network of people together and with you work out a plan of support that will meet your individual needs.

You will get help with

  • Finding somewhere to live.
  • Accessing education, employment and training
  • Learning the skills you need to live independently, like understanding a tenancy, practical skills to maintain your home and help with budgeting your money.
  • Support to keep up relationships with your family members.
  • Your health and wellbeing.
  • Claiming benefits that you are entitled to.

It is important to note that 16 or 17 year olds will not be able to have their own tenancy.

  • You will be allocated a key worker from housing.
  • Your social worker and housing key worker will want to meet with you and also ask you to attend meetings that are arranged to discuss your plan of support.

How long will I receive this support?

  • Child in Need support is available for as long as it is needed, or until you reach your 18th birthday.
  • You will be allocated a key worker from housing.
  • Your social worker and housing key worker will want to meet with you and also ask you to attend meetings that are arranged to discuss your plan of support.

Who pays for my accommodation?

You will be supported to apply for any benefits you are entitled to as you will be responsible for paying your own rent. People over the age of 16 are able to apply for Universal Credit if living independently (not at home) this will also include money for day to day costs you have.

It can take some time before your benefits start to be paid. Children’s Services will help you until you do begin to receive money from your benefits so need to worry about your rent, or having money for food or other essential items during this period.

You don’t need to accept help from Children’s Services. If you decline help from Children’s Services the Council’s Housing Solutions Team still have a duty to help you.

At first they will need to understand the problems leading up to your situation and try to help you to be able to stay at home to prevent you becoming homeless. If this is not possible they may be able to offer you emergency accommodation for a short period whilst they do an assessment to be able to make a decision about if they can continue to help and support you under the law.

If they can continue to support you they will make sure that you have accommodation. This accommodation is likely to be supported accommodation shared with others. Due to your age it is highly unlikely that you will be able to have your own accommodation as landlords only tend to rent to people who are over the age of 18 years.

You will have a Housing Key worker who will put a plan of support in place with you which likely will also include people you have in your network so that you can have the best possible support for your individual circumstances.

There is likely to be rules and boundaries all young people living in the accommodation will need to comply with. This keeps everyone safe.

How do I pay for my accommodation?

If you are going to be living independently (not at home) you will be helped to claim benefits that you may be entitled to. People over the age of 16 can apply for Universal Credit. This is for your rent and other day to day expenses you have such as food.

You will be responsible for paying your own rent. If you miss payments this can make it hard for you in the future to rent a property.

Why are you referring to me as a child?

At 16 or 17 years of age you probably dislike being referred to as a child. This doesn’t mean that you are not being listened to or taken seriously or any disrespect is intended. It’s because English law defines a child as being a person under the age of 18. This means that legally you are still a child and this enables us to use the law to help and support you when you are homeless.

What if I change my mind about being a Cared for Child?

If it was determined you were homeless and you decided you didn’t want to be a Cared for Child it’s important for you to know that you haven’t lost that opportunity. You can change your mind you just need to let us know.

Do I have to have a social worker if I’m a Cared for Child - they will just interfere?

The social worker may not be the main person you see as the place that you live will have a key worker who will work closely with you and get to know you well. You will need to have a social worker if you are a Cared for Child and most young people find their support very helpful. The social worker will want to listen to you and get things right. A social worker can really help get problems sorted and find the sort of help you will need.

I don’t like meetings and find it hard to follow the rules

We will make sure you have help to speak out and your views will be taken seriously. There will be ways to get your voice heard even if you are not at the meeting. You can have an advocate who will help you make your point and your social worker can help you get in contact with one.

Anywhere you live will have rules to follow – the staff will be there to help you understand why the rules are important and keeping you and others safe will be key to these rules.

What is an advocate?

This is a person who supports you to help express your views and wishes. They help you to know and stand up for your rights.

What does ‘priority need’ mean?

This is a term used by the Council to identify who should have priority access to housing.

The Children Act 1989 (section 17) means Children’s Services must safeguard and promote the welfare of children within their local area who are in need, by providing services and support ( a child in law is anyone under the age of 18).

The Children Act 1989 (section 20) says that every Local Authority shall provide accommodation for any child in need with their local area who requires it because:

  • There being no person who has parental responsibility for them.
  • Being lost or having been abandoned.

In most circumstances a 16 or 17 year old who has been assessed as being homeless is most likely to assessed as being a Child in Need (section 17) therefore is entitled to Local Authority accommodation (section 20).

The Housing Act 1996 places a duty on Local Authorities to prevent and relieve homelessness and provide accommodation to those who are homeless and in a ‘priority need’ group. Since 2002 this ‘priority need’ has included 16 and 17 year olds who are assessed as being homeless.

The Homeless Reduction Act 2017 changes the definition of ‘priority need’ to include those at risk of becoming homeless with 56 days.

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 12, the right to have your views and wishes listened to and taken seriously. Article 27(adequate standard of living). Every child has the right to a standard of living that is good enough to meet their physical and social needs and support their development.

National Contacts

Shelter

Just for Kids Law

Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB)

Runaway Helpline

Barnardo's

The National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS)

Contacts our homeless experienced young people want you to know about

Telford Stars

Free support for anyone living in Telford with their drug or alcohol use.

NHS mental health service

Help line Phone support and advice 24/7 for young people.

  • 0808 196 4501.

Childline

24/7 advice and guidance on issues young people may have. Free phone line and service.

  • 0800 1111.

Telford Care Leavers Offer

A range of information and resource information for when you are over 18 years.

Family Connect

Family Connect will support you if you are homeless or think you may be soon because of family problems. Or you are worried about abuse or violence in the home or in the community.