Homelessness prevention by Swansea Council and Barnardo’s

Preventative social housing allocation

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The context

A Way Home Scotland’s 2020 Youth Homelessness Prevention Pathway notes many homelessness services across the country are planned and delivered for all age groups. Young people frequently have to navigate adult services, some of which may not recognise the different learning stages of adolescence and the specific needs of young people transitioning into adulthood. Integrated ‘hubs’ are effective in delivering tailored services to young people at risk of homelessness in general, and as a preventative approach in particular. Whilst only a minority of local authorities in Scotland deliver services this way, youth hubs are increasingly common in Wales.

The intervention

Youth homelessness has long been an area of priority focus in Swansea. Historically, the Council has perceived the issue primarily through the lens of social services, rather than housing. This has fostered a holistic, multi-agency approach to supporting young people in housing difficulty, focusing on prevention, wider wellbeing and needs (including those of a young person’s family), as well as housing options. Barnardo’s works in collaboration with Swansea Council to offer a prevention, options and support service for young people aged 16-21.

Barnardo’s employs a youth homelessness prevention advisor and a trained mediator, who can also provide task-focused, practical support, such as help with income maximisation, school, behaviour or wellbeing issues, to both young people and their families. The purpose is to work with the young person and, where possible, their family, to understand the root of cause of issues, and try to address these. The service also has a schools worker. Where homelessness can’t be prevented, Barnardo’s works with a young person to make a planned move, which may be through the rent deposit scheme or a social landlord. The service also has access (via the multi-agency Accommodation Pathway) to youth supported accommodation, such as training flats, supported lodgings and Housing First.

In recent years Barnardo’s has been located within a wider youth ‘hub’ or one-stop shop: Info-nation, which has both an office and online presence. Since moving to Info nation, the service operates from a youth-orientated building in which other agencies relevant to young people have a presence or can be easily accessed. This includes Swansea Council’s wider youth services, youth substance misuse and leaving care teams. Young people can access free and confidential advice at Info-nation on careers, education, sexual health, relationships and money matters, use computers or attend a digital drop-in. The ethos of the whole hub is that young people can simply arrive and be seen - quickly - by youth-focused professionals.

The outcome

Barnardo’s youth service prevented homelessness for 89% of the young people it assessed during 2020-21. This represents 87 young people, of whom 72 (83%) made use of home support and/or mediation. This level of effective prevention has been fairly consistent over recent years. In total the service received 258 contacts from young people, family or professionals for advice and assistance – much of which represents more ‘upstream’ preventative work whereby an assessment was not required.

Recent research by Sheffield Hallam University (2019) found implementing an integrated ‘hub’ model of services for young people had the strongest impact on youth homelessness, and local authorities taking this approach had seen a ‘step change’ in their ability to respond to the issue. This was especially true of integration between housing and children’s social work services.

Key insights

• understanding youth homelessness as an issue for social work as much as for housing teams enables a more holistic, collaborative approach to be taken towards young people’s needs
• a (physical and digital) hub makes it easy for young people to know where to go for help or advice– but also helps different services get to know and trust
  each other, aiding collaboration
• dedicated staff working with young people can understand child and youth development, transitions and changing needs better than those working in generic adult services

Find out more…

Christine Parry, Children’s Service Manager, Barnardo’s Cymru
christine.parry.barnardos@swansea.gov.uk