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Carlisle City Commitment: FINAL

Local Commitment: Carlisle City

October 2017

Joint Protocol for Homeless 16/17 Year Olds: The Local Commitment

CARLISLE LOCAL COMMITMENT – OCTOBER 2017

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Contents

1. Background 3

2. Fit with the County Protocol 4

3. Definition of Success 6

4. Local Arrangements: Approach & Flowchart 7

5. First Contact Script 13

6. Details of Local Provision/Housing Pathway 20

7. Local Partners 21

8. Conflict Resolution 24

9. Role of Early Help Officers (16/17 Yr Olds Youth Homelessness) and Referral Form

27

Photo supplied by Impact Housing Association: Eden Rural Foyer Residents


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1. Background

1.1 In the past Young People in Cumbria who were vulnerable and homeless have received an inconsistent service. In their own words, the process was often unclear and the outcome unsatisfactory for them1. However, that service was equally unsatisfactory for many of the professionals involved- there were gaps in provision, there were unclear working relationships and there was often a feeling that we could have done better within the resources we had available.

1.2 The Protocol and Local Commitments adopt a different approach with several key aspects at its core:

i) We have based our proposals on the feedback from young People who have been homeless;

ii) We have concentrated on the Pathway that the young Person takes from homelessness to success;

iii) We have defined success as what the young Person describes as a successful outcome for them;

iv) We have involved Young People, front line staff, Managers and senior politicians in the process that we have gone through to produce this Protocol2.

1.3 Since we approved the Joint Protocol in December 2013 (from which the Local

Commitments grew), agencies across the County have begun working together

in a collaborative and accountable way that results in better outcomes for our

Young People.

1 See Appendix III of the Protocol: Feedback from Young People Interviews in Cumbria – May 2013

2 See Appd 1 “Our Approach”


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2. Fit with the County Protocol

As outlined in the main protocol document, we share a number of principles and beliefs about Young People and their transition to independent adulthood. It is the responsibility of all agencies to help protect our young people and keep them from harm.

i) The parents of, or those with parental responsibility for, 16 and 17 year olds are

responsible for their children’s welfare. Our key commitment is to keep families together in their homes wherever possible because this is best for the child.

ii) There is excellent preventative work taking place at a local level which sits outside of the Protocol. This work supports the principle outlined above; namely that, for most young people, staying in their family home (with support) is usually the best outcome for them.

iii) It is the responsibility of all agencies to keep children safe.

iv) bed and breakfast accommodation is not suitable for use by children’s services or housing authorities to accommodate 16 and 17 year old Young People on a temporary basis: this principle is re-emphasised by the statutory joint guidance.

v) the experience of homelessness is damaging to Young People and to their life chances: the statutory joint guidance states that “it is in the best interests of most Young People aged 16 or 17 to live in the family home, or, where this is not safe or appropriate, with responsible adults in their wider family and friends network”.

vi) Young People should be given every opportunity to have a realistic understanding

of the options available to them, and to make informed choices about their future.

vii) Sometimes and despite everyone’s best efforts, the pathway agreed with the young person breaks down. There is an absolute commitment on behalf of the signatories to the Protocol to ensure that in such cases the pathway is rebuilt, the young person can go back to the appropriate stage, re-engage and be reassessed by Children’s Services, as appropriate.

In all cases, a successful outcome will be defined by the young person and the sorts of involvement by professional agencies will be agreed with the young person.

Agencies will share information about a young person and their family, subject to their consent.

i) A young person in crisis should receive a consistent, practical and immediate response, which focuses on preventing homelessness in the first place, from whichever agency they first approach and a script has been developed to facilitate this (see Section 6).

ii) One element of the dialogue that will take place at a local level when the young person first presents, will be the offer of access to independent advocacy through the National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS).3

3 http://www.nyas.net/

http://www.nyas.net/


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iii) In all cases the outcome from the response will be a referral to Children’s Services Safeguarding Hub Team.

iv) The Children’s Services Safeguarding Hub Team will take responsibility for a desktop assessment leading to a decision on further action.

v) Once the decision has been made the responsibility for further support will either

i. stay with the County Council; ii. transfer to the District Council as Housing Authority; iii. transfer to an agency who is an identified provider of early help; iv. or, come to an end;

vi) Regardless of the decision, support will be delivered at a local (District) level and

may involve other professionals dependent upon the presenting needs of the young person.


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“Where it is safe for them to do so, we will work with and support a young

person to remain at home or within their family network thereby preventing

homelessness. A young person who is vulnerable, homeless and 16/17 years

old will receive an efficient and seamless service which results in a successful

outcome for them. That successful outcome, as defined by our Young People,

will be to be settled in independent and sustainable housing. To achieve this

outcome, support agencies will adopt a Pathways approach, which means

that they will work collaboratively together to make the process clear,

seamless and effective.”

Cumbria Housing Executive Group, 2012, in commissioning the Protocol Review

3. Our Definition of Success

Following extensive consultation with Young People who are currently experiencing or have experienced homelessness, a number of key points emerged; these are:

Young People want: o A single point of contact, not to be passed pillar to post. o Clarity about what will happen next, about what they can expect or limitations

of what can happen. o To be listened to and helped to make informed choices (where appropriate). o Their wishes to be heard, they want someone to talk to who can explain what

is going to happen and what could happen. o Support. o Suitable emergency accommodation.

As professionals we want:

o Decisions to be made in the best interest of each young person. o Prevention of homelessness, where it is safe to do so, based on the

judgement of the professionals involved. o Relevant agencies to work together to support young people.


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4. Local Arrangements: Approach & Flowchart

Key principles by which we will operate in Carlisle are:

Our starting point is that young people are better off living at home or within their family

network, as long as it is safe for them to do so. Homelessness at a young age should be

avoided wherever possible.4

An integral element of the approach in Carlisle will be joint meetings between Housing and

Children’s Services/Youth Offending Service (YOS). For young people who are not open

already to Children’s Services/YOS and who are threatened with /at risk of homelessness, a

visit would be undertaken by the Early Help Officer in Youth Homelessness and a Homeless

Prevention Officer to the young person and/or their family. We recognise that this is an

important part of homeless prevention.

We will support young people to present as homeless at the place that is most appropriate

for them. We will work with partner organisations to encourage them to take ownership at

this first point of contact by undertaking the script conversation with the young person,

making the Single Contact Referral and First Contact Script (FCS) referral, as appropriate.

Where an agency feels that a young person would benefit from additional support to

prevent homelessness, an Early Help Assessment should be explored.

We recognise the benefits of Early Help Assessments to provide timely support to prevent

homelessness, escalation of risk to young people and long-term interventions from statutory

services. 5

When a young person is homeless with immediate effect, we will explore all safe and

appropriate emergency accommodation options; this will include family and friends,

Nightstop, and Carlisle City Council hostel accommodation.

Contact can be made at an early point with the supported accommodation provider to

explore whether or not they have any voids and a direct referral can be made.

When young people are placed in emergency accommodation, we will work together

proactively to move them into more stable and suitable accommodation as quickly as

possible. We will pull a multi-agency team around the Young Person quickly to work

towards this outcome.

We will make decisions in the best interests of each young person, on a case by case basis.

We will adopt an approach that puts the emphasis on preventing homelessness or

responding to the risk of homelessness in a planned way to prevent young people entering

statutory services, where it is safe and appropriate to do so.

When a young person is being evicted from supported accommodation, partners will be

made aware at the earliest possible point so that we can work together proactively to

4 “Increasing and improving positive outcomes for young people experiencing homelessness” is one

of the four key areas in the Interagency Homelessness Strategy for Carlisle 2015 – 2020. 5 Agencies can contact the Early Help team in the Hub to check whether an Early Help Assessment

has already been opened for a young person. The Early Help team and/or the Early Help Officer in Youth Homelessness can be contacted for additional support/advice regarding Early Help Assessments. Please see Section 7 for contact details.


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support the young person and keep them safe. If this eviction has to take place out of hours,

then Emergency Duty Team is contacted to make them aware of the young person.

Local arrangements

If a young person presents (other than to Children’s Services) and it appears they are

homeless that day, then the organisation to which they have presented will have an initial

dialogue with them (using the script). If there are no safeguarding issues, the organisation

to which the young person has presented, should contact the young person’s parents and

mediate to encourage the young person remaining in their family. If this is unsuccessful or

deemed fragile, the organisation should complete the Single Referral Form and send this

through to Safeguarding Hub. Safeguarding Hub will undertake a desktop assessment and, if

they feel that the young person requires a Child and Family assessment, the case will be

passed to the local Support & Protection Team or YOS social worker where YOS are involved.

If the mediation is successful, we can explore whether an Early Help Assessment would be

appropriate to reduce further risk of homelessness and assess whether there is other unmet

need. In these cases, a referral to the Early Help Officer in Youth Homelessness, cc’d to the

Homeless Prevention Officer, needs to be made to ensure the young person can be

supported and the Early Help Assessment can be progressed. This referral is attached at

Section 9.

If the mediation is unsuccessful, and a referral to Safeguarding Hub has been made then the

referring organisation needs to reassure the young person that further enquiries are being

made and offer them a safe place to wait for further contact.

The Support & Protection Team will provide a response (within office hours). The

responsible team manager can always be contacted if a timely response is not forthcoming

so that suitable arrangements can be made.

If a young person presents to an organisation other than Children’s Services out of hours,

then then the Emergency Duty Team should be contacted.

Accommodation

If a young person is homeless that night and cannot stay within the wider family or with

friends, then the organisation to which the young person has presented will make a referral

to Nightstop or contact Carlisle City Council for placement within the Carlisle City Council

hostels.6 Nightstop is a Cumbria County Council commissioned service.

Regardless of the accommodation provider (Nightstop, Carlisle City Council or Impact) young

people will be subject to a standard meet and greet/risk assessment process and can be

declined if the scheme is not felt to be appropriate for them or able to meet their needs.

If a young person presents to an organisation other than Children’s Services late in the day,

then contact will be made as soon as possible with either Safeguarding Hub or the

Emergency Duty Team (EDT) on 0333 2401727. The referring organisation will update

Safeguarding Hub/EDT of actions taken, phone calls made and inform them of where the

young person is staying that night (if possible seeking authorisation from EDT to find suitable

temporary accommodation).

6 Nightstop Cumbria will take referrals 10-4pm, Monday – Friday and the earlier a referral can be

made, the better the chances are that they will be able to complete the risk assessment and accommodate the young person. Carlisle City Council hostels service can be contacted 24/7. Please see Section 7 for contact details.


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If a young person is placed in the accommodation out of hours, Carlisle City Council will

contact Children’s Services, either through the Emergency Duty Team or first thing the next

morning.

The provider of supported accommodation for young people in Carlisle is Impact Housing

Association, commissioned through Supporting People (SP). For young people who are in

need of accommodation, Impact can be contacted directly to establish whether a vacancy is

available. For 16-17 year olds, the referral process into the service requires the completion

of the First Contact Script (FCS), with the consent element signed; this needs to be sent

through to the Cumbria Advice & Support Team (CAST) and this can be done at the same

time Impact are contacted. Where there is an accommodation vacancy, there is some

flexibility (but not a requirement) for Impact to meet the young person, risk assess, look to

accommodate and then to complete the FCS paperwork retrospectively. Acceptances to

Impact are done on a case by case basis and in all cases, there should be full disclosure of

needs and risks to enable good decision making. In all SP commissioned accommodation for

young people, 16-17 year olds who are homeless/threatened with homelessness and care

leavers have priority however this still means that they are subject to the standard meet and

greet/risk assessment processes and can be declined if the scheme is not felt to be

appropriate for them or able to meet their needs. For all contact details see section 7, if the

named contacts are unavailable, please ask to speak with the Duty Manager.

Financial Aspects

If a young person is ineligible to claim benefits and becomes looked after/is accommodated

for the period of a Child in Need assessment, then financial support (equivalent to benefits)

will be provided by Children’s Services.

If a young person is placed in Carlisle City Council’s emergency accommodation then

Children’s Services will pay for the first 10 nights’ accommodation whilst a Child and Family

assessment is being undertaken.

After the first 10 days, when the Child and Family Assessment is complete and if the young

person is not becoming a child looked after or has refused the offer of becoming looked

after, the young person should become eligible for benefits and supported to make a claim.

The young person can make an application for housing benefit from the Civic Centre, Carlisle

to pay their rent for their accommodation.

The young person can make an application for relevant benefits from Department of Work and Pension by contacting them at Jobcentre Plus: Telephone: 0800 055 6688 Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.

Key Workers in hostel or supported accommodation, Social Worker, Homeless Case Officer

or Carlisle Key can support the young person to make this claim.

If the Young Person is in education or training they will be entitled to Income Support.

If the Young Person is not in education or training then they can make a claim for Income

Based Job Seekers.

Food banks are available in the area. Individual agencies have access to food / food vouchers

and will distribute to young people accordingly. Carlisle Key is based on Fisher Street

(contact details can be found in section 7). They have food, clothes, bedding and household

goods that they can distribute to young people in need. This is independent of the food

banks.


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If possible, parents and other family members should be encouraged to offer financial

support to the young person.

Implementation

The implementation of the protocol and how we can best work together to respond to young

homeless people in Carlisle, will be held by the Protocol Implementation Group, meeting on the

second Monday morning of each month. As far as possible attendance at this meeting will be

consistent by:

Carlisle City Council (Gareth Torrens/Caroline Graham/Peter Rhodes),

Impact Housing Association (Lou Gray),

Inspira (Nicky Jackson),

Children’s Services, Leaving Care (Karen Rome),

Children’s Services, Child and Family Support Team (Liz Hart),

Children’s Services (Diane Harrison),

Children’s Services, Early Help Officer for Homeless 16-17 year olds (Carl Nixon),

YOS (Richard Thompson),

Carlisle Key (Clare Brockie/Angela Purvis),

Cumbria Police (Dave Mattinson).

Carlisle City Commitment: FINAL

Young person supported to make a move into

supported accommodation.

Early Help Assessment undertaken and Team

around the YP formed.

Referral to CAST/Supported

Accommodation provider

progressed if needed.

Young person presents to an organisation – at risk of homelessness

Opening conversation with young person using the First Contact Script

(FCS).

Professional should complete – not to be given to YP to complete.

FCS sent through to the Early Help Officer (16/17 Year Olds Youth

Homelessness). Case Officer progresses as appropriate.

Prevention options explored.

Young person supported to remain at home

(Early Help Assessment undertaken and ongoing support).

Early Help Assessment with Team around Young

Person progressed to initiate plan and look at unmet

needs.

I have a Home/Return to Home.

If at any point, there are

concerns for the young

person’s safety, possible

CSE or there are

safeguarding concerns,

then a referral to the

Safeguarding Hub should

be made.

Young Person – Threatened with Homelessness


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Practitioners’ Guide – Homeless Tonight

Inspira School Housing Other Agency

Opening conversation with young person

using First Contact Script (FCS). Copy to Hub

with Single Referral Form and CAST

([email protected])

If emergency, FCS also forwarded directly to

accommodation providers.

Young person has no existing relationship

with Children’s Services/Youth Offending

Service (YOS).

Hub desktop assessment within 24 hours.

Hub decision

(housing need only):

CAST circulate FCS

to local

accommodation

providers. Meet and

greet offered. Team

around YP formed to

support needs.

Children’s

Services

Young person has

existing relationship with

Children’s Services.

Young person has

existing

relationship with

YOS or is known to

or actively working

with within last 3

months.

Children’s

Services

Member of district-based S&P Team makes

contact with young person within 24 hours

(worker to put contact on ICS stated issue as

homeless). If YOS client/previous client within

3 months, CFST makes contact with YOS Social

Worker and joint working arrangements

agreed on a case by case basis.

Child in Need plan created (updated and

signed by young person, Social Worker and

Manager).

If YOS client/previous YOS client within 3

months, joint meeting held between YOS

Practice Manager and S&P Team Manager to

determine the most appropriate lead

professional moving forward.

Child in Need plan review to be convened

within four weeks to review support.

Young person declines.

NYAS conversation to ensure young person

understands the implications of the decision.

Young person offered support under S17.

If young person

homeless and no

suitable connected

person identified,

CS accommodate.

NYAS referral

submitted.

FCS referral

submitted on

basis of CIN Plan.

C&FA decision –

S20.

Young person

accepts.

CLA process

starts.

Hub decision (Early Help Assessment):

Referral sent to Early Help Officer (16/17

Year Olds Youth Homelessness).

EHA initiated and Registered with Early Help

Team at the Hub. Team around YP formed to

identify and work with needs of YP.

I have a Home/Return to Home. I have a Home/Return to Home. Accommodated.

mailto:[email protected]

First Contact Script

(Accommodation Referral Form for 16/17 Year Olds)

The “First Contact is effectively a script of the actions to be taken and the questions to be asked in the first stages of a young person’s homeless presentation, including a referral form that is shared between the Safeguarding Hub Team, the housing team, accommodation provider and the young person.

Please indicate the purpose of the referral (tick all that apply): Referral to Supported Accommodation Referral to Nightstop (this should be sent to Nightstop directly by referrer completing the script) Referral to Youth Homelessness Officer – (if not already open to YOS/Children’s Services)

These questions are the minimum we would expect to be asked of a young person when they present as homeless. The purpose of this is to ensure a consistent response and experience, regardless of whose front door the young person presents to and regardless of where in the county they present.

I’m going to need to ask you a few questions to find out more about you and understand your situation. I will need to ask some personal questions so that we can work out how best to help you and I’ll have to make some notes. I’m going to use notes to fill in a form that will start the process of getting you some help. Are you ok with that?

Can you give me some basic details about yourself?

Name

DOB

Address

Postcode

Contact Number

Ethnicity

CONTEXT AND IMMEDIATE ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS The first thing we need to do is establish where you have been living and why you can’t live there anymore, so can you tell me where you have been staying and what has been going on?_________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ Do you feel safe there? ______________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________


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Have you somewhere to stay tonight? Can you go home or are there any friends or family members you could stay with? Is there anyone you could stay with where you would be safe and can I help you sort that? __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________

If the YP feels safe at home/where they have been staying, carry on to…

If we ‘phoned your parents and asked them if you could go back home, what do you think they would say? __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________

A call must be made to parents by a professional to verify the YP cannot go home. Parent/carer name/contact details: ___________________________________________________________ Has homelessness been verified by parent/carer? YES NO More info:

If there are safeguarding concerns, a referral must be made to the Safeguarding Hub with a copy of this form attached. If there are no safeguarding concerns, carry on to:

What could we do to help you to resolve the difficulties you are having at home? Would you be interested in some family support? ________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________

Other supplementary questions may be asked dependent upon the conversation. What we need to establish is why the YP believes they are no longer able to live at home, and whether it is possible to “hold” the position at home and prevent homelessness. If they are not at home, how long is it since they left home, how long have they been in an interim arrangement and why has that ended? The questions above are what we identified in conjunction with YP who had experienced homelessness, professionals who support these young people, and both were involved in the development of the script.


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EMERGENCY ACCOMMODATION – HOMELESS TONIGHT Have you heard about Nightstop? If not, I would like to explain this to you… Are you interested in this for tonight? YES NO

Are you referring to Nightstop? YES NO If yes, please ask the YP to read and sign the consent statement below…

Consent Statement if Nightstop is being considered We need to collect information from you so that we can understand what support you may need. We will treat all information as confidential. We will not share it with any organisation unless required by law or you give us permission to do so, where it is relevant to your support and accommodation. We will need to contact other agencies to assess your support needs and to provide suitable accommodation, so we may contact the following agencies: Youth Offending Service /Probation Police Housing Options Teams Benefits Agencies Inspira Social Services Family/friends Any other services that you are currently/have been involved with We will always contact the police but if you do not want us to contact any of the other agencies you are involved with, please let us know. Referred Person – Consent I am happy for Depaul to keep written and electronic information about me. I understand that this information may be shared in order to safeguard anyone at risk. I am happy for Depaul to contact other agencies, including the police, where it is necessary for the purposes of my support. Signed: _____________________________________________ Date: _________________________

If Nightstop is requested, it is good practice to speak to Nightstop Co-ordinators and a copy of this First Contact Script MUST also be sent. Contact details are below: Sharon Jackson, Senior Nightstop Co-ordinator 07958 447477 [email protected] Jade Docherty, Project Worker 07399 580459 [email protected]

Dependent on the YP’s circumstances, ask about food and benefits as part of this conversation or pick up under Action & Next Steps.




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SUPPORT NEEDS AND RISK The next thing we need to establish is whether you are getting any help from anyone right now. This will help us work out if you need any extra support and who best can do that. We can offer you help to sort things out with your parent(s). Lots of young people fall out with their parents and it can take a bit of time to sort, but it’s much better to be at home/with your family until you’re 18 and then plan your move if that’s what you need or want to do. Are there any agencies you are involved with/are there any other people you see, who help you or give you support? _______________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ How are you feeling in yourself? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Happy Not too bad A bit low Suicidal Can you describe this in a bit more detail please? _______________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________

If negative, then carry on with:

Can you tell me more about what is making you feel like that? ______________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ Is there anything that makes it better? ________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ Is there anything that makes it worse? __________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________

If you have significant concerns about the YP’s mental health, a referral to the Safeguarding Hub should be completed. Has this been done? YES NO N/A

Before we can look at what happens next, we just need to build up as clear a picture as possible of you and identify anything that might help you or anything that might make things go wrong. Are there any offences you can tell me about or is there anything you are waiting to hear about? YES NO

If yes, ask about involvement with YOS, the sentence, timing and generally get more detail. If the offence has not yet been dealt with (eg charge), we’d still like to know if relevant (eg Arson etc)

_____________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________


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Do you know about what the housing options are for young people? It is very difficult to live by yourself and most young people aged 16/17 do not have their own place, as they cannot hold a tenancy by law in their own right.

Spell out what the REALISTIC options are including limited choice, the reality of minimal social housing and it being in areas they may not want to live in and the other option being sharing in the private rented sector). Also, point out the youth homelessness info website for more info: http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/yphousing/youngpeople/default.asp

____________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________

ACTION & NEXT STEPS What I would like to do now is talk you through what happens next, where this information goes and what happens to it but before I do that, I would like to hear about what you would like to see happen and where you would like to be living.

We are looking for the young person to expand beyond “I need somewhere to live” so that we understand their desired outcome; is it about a tenancy and support to manage, is it about support to return home, is it about living in supported accommodation etc…? Use the Housing Pathway for your district to talk the young person through the options, being realistic about their level of choice. Look at the relevant Housing Pathway in your Local Commitment at http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/yphousing/professionals/protocol.asp

_____________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Is there someone you would like to be invited to meetings alongside you to help you put your case across and make sure that your voice is heard? We call this person an advocate. If you don’t have someone but would like an advocate, we may be able to refer you to NYAS. NYAS stands for the National Youth Advocacy Service. You may be able to get help from an advocate if you feel you are not being listened to about any issue, such as a Children’s Services/Early Help meeting, a Family Group Conference or if you wish to make a complaint. An advocate may be able to act as a voice for you. If you are interested, I could ask if you meet the criteria and refer. Is this something you would be interested in? YES NO

Referral to NYAS completed? YES NO Date: ___________________ NYAS website: www.nyas.net/

So, I said at the beginning that I was going to take some notes and fill in a form; I’d like us to go through briefly what I have written on the form to make sure that you agree this is a fair record of what we have discussed. With your permission, I will now share this information with Children’s Services so that they can do a first assessment of what your needs are and we can start to work out how best to help you. Are you happy for me to share this information? If your case is given to someone in the local Support & Protection Team, then they will be in touch with you as soon as possible, within a maximum of 24 hours. If your case is not passed to the local team, we will look at other ways to support you.

http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/yphousing/youngpeople/default.asp

http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/yphousing/professionals/protocol.asp

http://www.nyas.net/


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Consent to share information before the referral can be processed:

I give permission for Cumbria County Council to share the information contained in this document and that any relevant agencies that are involved in my care and support can be contacted. I understand that if the information on this form is untrue and incorrect and that any false or misleading information may lead to:

My referral being cancelled; and/or

An offer of support/accommodation being withdrawn. Name: _____________________________ Signature: ________________________ Date: ______________

NB Children’s Services Support & Protection Teams are closed at the weekend so if the YP presents late on Friday, the response times will kick in from Monday morning. So if the form is passed to Safeguarding Hub late on Friday, they will undertake their assessment and if it is passed to the local team, they will be in touch the following Monday. In the meantime, contact the Emergency Duty Team Social Worker to jointly identify suitable options.

IF OUT OF HOURS:

I will now contact the Emergency Team Social Worker and between us we will agree a solution for your immediate accommodation needs. On Monday, your details will be passed to Safeguarding Hub for them to look at your circumstances in more detail.

IS THIS PROGRESSING TO A SAFEGUARDING HUB REFERRAL? YES NO If yes:

I will copy the form so that I have a copy and you have a copy as well as the one I will send to Children’s Services. I will now contact Children’s Services, to discuss with them how best to proceed and how to support you. They will carry out an assessment of your needs. If you are homeless and have nowhere suitable to stay; we will work together to find suitable, temporary accommodation for you whilst this assessment is undertaken and we continue the conversation about your longer term needs. Name of Referrer: ________________________ Date: _________________________________ Organisation: __________________________________________________________________ Contact Details: _________________________________________________________________ If you are making a referral for a 16/17 year old into supported accommodation, this signed and completed form needs to be sent to the contact detailed below. Please note you also can contact the relevant accommodation provider directly at this time to discuss and progress this referral. Postal Address: County Business Support | Health Care and Community Services | Cumbria County Council | Cumbria House | 107 – 117 Botchergate | Carlisle | Cumbria | CA1 1RZ E-mail: If any Referrers have access to a secure E-mail such as ‘GSI’ address or ‘Egress,’ then YP Script/CAP forms can be sent to: [email protected] Telephone enquiries: 03000 133000


"I need a home..."

1. Emergency

2. Homestay

3. Next Step

4. Next Step

5. Next Step

6. Next Step

My Home

6. Housing Pathway Carlisle

2. Homestay is a

County Council run

supported lodgings

scheme, with people

offering a young

person a room in

their home and

support to enable

them to develop

independent living

skills on a respite

basis. Homestays can

also offer support to

young people in their

homes.

3. Water Street

Women’s and

Families’ Hostel: 10

units. Access is

through Carlisle City

Councils homeless

and hostel services

and dependent upon

the availability of

accommodation, &

the appropriateness

of the referral.

4. Close Street/ Warwick

Square: 15 units of

shared accommodation

plus 4 local move on

properties For 16-17 year

olds, the referral process

requires completion of

the script with the

consent element

signed. The young

person should be

supported to do this by

the agency to which they

first present. Acceptances

are dependent on

vacancies,

appropriateness of the

referral & the needs of

other residents as

determined by the

individual project.

6. Cumbria

Choice Based

Lettings:

www.cumbria

choice.org.uk

Need to be

aged 18+ to

access own

tenancy

through CBL.

There may be

exceptions to

this but this

will be in

exceptional

cases only.

1. Nightstop (emergency provision). Nightstop Cumbria offers accommodation for young people in immediate housing crisis in the homes of trained and approved volunteer ‘hosts’. Placements are dependent on a satisfactory Risk Assessment and offered on a night by night basis.

1.

2. Homestay

Contacts

Gaby Sanderson

01228 227079/

07909928276.

Gabrielle.Sanderson

@cumrbia.gov.uk

1. Nightstop

Contact

Sharon Jackson

07958 447477

sharon.jackson@

depauluk.org .

3. Water Street

Contacts

01228 817386

4. Close Street/

Warwick Square

Contact: Lou

Gray (Impact)

07843470647

6. Cumbria Choice

Based Lettings:

Riverside Housing

Association (HA):

0800 1693245;

Impact HA: 0344

8736290; Two

Castles: 0800 085

1171/ 0300 123

1747.

The pathway

will be

followed only

when all

other options

have been

exhausted

including

extended

family.”

5. Key 2 Succeed:

Shared 2 or 3 bed

flats (11 rooms in

total). Affordable

accomm. For 18-25

yr olds who may be

moving on from

supported and for

those who do not

require support but

are studying at

college/University or

starting out at work.

Although this will not

be supported the

tenants will be

required to

undertake Tenancy

prog and a mentor

will be available.

Access via online

application form

www.impacthousing.

org.uk

5. Key 2 Succeed,

Lindisfarne Street:

Lou Gray

(Impact)

07843470647

http://www.cumbriachoice.org.uk/

http://www.cumbriachoice.org.uk/



http://www.impacthousing.org.uk/

http://www.impacthousing.org.uk/

7. Local Partners

Contact/Partner Name Contact Details Services Provided

Statutory Agencies

Cumbria County Council: Children’s Services

Named contact: Liz Hart (Advanced Practitioner, Carlisle & Eden) Address: Children’s Services, Cumbria House, 117 Botchergate, Carlisle CA1 1RD Telephone: 01228 227013 / 07554 337976 Email: [email protected]

Support & Protection Team, Carlisle South & Rural


Named contact: Diane Harrison (Intensive Early Help Manager; Youth Homelessness, Health & Wellbeing) Address: Cumbria County Council, Carlisle East Community Fire Station, Eastern Way, Carlisle CA1 3RA Telephone: 078 7665 0164 Email: [email protected]

Intensive Early Help; Youth Homelessness, Health & Wellbeing


Named contact: Carl Nixon (Early Help Officer; 16/17 Year Olds Youth Homelessness) Address: Carlisle East Fire Station, Eastern Way, Carlisle CA1 3RA Telephone: 07881 264512 Email: [email protected]

Early Help Worker in Youth Homelessness


Named contact: Joanne King (Team Leader) Address: The Lower Gaol Yard, The Courts, Carlisle, CA3 8NA Telephone: 07825 340563 Email: [email protected]

Targeted Youth Support


Named contact: Karen Rome (Personal Adviser) Address: Children’s Services, English Gate Plaza Carlisle, CA1 1RP Telephone: 07971 446118 Email: [email protected]

Children Looked After & Leaving Care Team


Safeguarding Hub and Emergency Duty Team Telephone: 0333 240 1727 Fax: 01228 221 572 eFax: [email protected]

Safeguarding Hub and Emergency Duty Team


Named contact: Richard Thompson (Team Practice Manager) Address: Carlisle East Community Fire Station, Eastern Way, Carlisle CA1 3RA Telephone: 01228 227090 / 07920297764 Email: [email protected]

Youth Offending Service


Named contact: Mike Routledge (YOS Officer) Address: Carlisle East Community Fire Station, Eastern Way, Carlisle CA1 3RA Telephone: 01228 227090 Email: [email protected]

Youth Offending Service

Cumbria LSCB Named contact: Steph Smithson (Early Help Officer) Address: Early Help Team, Parkhouse Building Baron Way, Carlisle CA6 4SJ Telephone: 07812972905 Email: [email protected]

Early Help Team

Carlisle City Council Named contact: Tammie Rhodes (Homelessness, Prevention & Accommodation Services Manager) Address: Carlisle City Council, Civic Centre, Rickergate, Carlisle CA3 8QG Telephone: 01228 817217 / 07971720999

Housing Team





Page | 21

Email: [email protected] Carlisle City Council Named contact: Gareth Torrens (Homeless Manager)

Address: : Carlisle City Council, Civic Centre, Rickergate, Carlisle CA3 8QG Telephone: 01228 817169 Email: [email protected]

Housing Team

Carlisle City Council Named contact: Caroline Graham (Homeless Prevention & Private Sector Liaison Officer) Address: Carlisle City Council, Civic Centre, Rickergate, Carlisle CA3 8QG Telephone: 01228 817089 Email: [email protected]

Housing Team

Carlisle City Council Named contact: Peter Rhodes (Hostel Manager) Address: Carlisle City Council, Civic Centre, Rickergate, Carlisle CA3 8QG Telephone: 01228 817383 Email: [email protected]

Housing Team

Carlisle City Council Named contact: Sarah Nelson (Senior Hostel Worker) Address: Carlisle City Council, Civic Centre, Rickergate, Carlisle CA3 8QG Telephone: 01228 817386 Email: [email protected]

Housing Team

Contracted Agencies

Inspira Named contact: Nicky Jackson (Area Operations Manager - North) Address: Inspira, 28 Lowther Street, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA3 8DH Telephone: 01228 596272 | Mobile: 07725 678982 Email: [email protected]

Careers Information, advice and guidance

Inspira Named contact: Victoria Wharton (Deputy Area Operations Manager – North) Address: Inspira, 28 Lowther Street, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA3 8DH Telephone: 01228 596272 / 07725 678936 Email: [email protected]


Inspira Named contact: Kelly Monaghan (Deputy Area Operations Manager – North) Address: Inspira, 28 Lowther Street, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA3 8DH Telephone: 01228 596272 / 07812 224424 Email: [email protected]


National Youth Advisory Service (NYAS)

Named contact: NYAS Helpline Address: Egerton House, Tower Rd, Birkenhead, CH41 1FN Telephone: 0808 808 1001 (helpline)

Advocacy

Carlisle Food Bank Opening times: Monday, Thursday and Friday between 1-3pm, a referral from from an agency is required. Address: The Salvation Army St, Nicholas Street, Carlisle CA1 2EF Telephone: 07512 552 449

Foodbank

Independent Agencies

Impact Named contact: Lou Gray (Service Manager, Youth People’s Services) Address: Kendal Foyer, Yard 95a, Stricklandgate, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 4RA

Telephone: 01768 861650 / 07739 951793 Email: [email protected]

Supported accommodation provider

Carlisle Key Named contact: Clare Brockie (Project Manager) Address: 29 Fisher Street, Carlisle Telephone: 01228 595566 Email: [email protected]

Charity to support young people move to independent living

Carlisle Key Named contact: Angela Purvis Address: 29 Fisher Street, Carlisle

Charity to support young people move to independent






Page | 22

Telephone: 01228 595566 Email: [email protected]

living


Page | 23

8. Conflict Resolution

Legislation, Case Law and Government guidance emphasise the importance of the Protocol

as the means by which the statutory services will be held to account to Homeless and

Vulnerable Young People for the service that they provide.

The most likely place where conflicts will arise is over the young person’s initial assessment.

This is why our Protocol has concentrated so much on the First Contact.

There are three parties to that assessment – the County, the District and the Young

Person. Any one of these can escalate the disagreement to a formal conflict.

We have agreed to use the Conflict Resolution process as published by the Cumbria Local

Safeguarding Children Board (LSBC) in March 2015, with the proviso outlined above that we

recognise 3 parties in this process and the young person can also escalate an issue through

conflict resolution.

1. Introduction

At no time must professional disagreement detract from ensuring that the child is

safeguarded. The child's welfare and safety must remain paramount throughout.

This procedure identifies a non-exhaustive list of potential areas of disagreement, guidance

on preventing disputes and procedures to be followed when disputes cannot be resolved

through discussion and negotiation between professionals at front line level. It does not

include procedures when there is a disagreement regarding the need to convene an Initial

Child Protection Conference or the implementation of the Child Protection Plan.

2. Potential Areas of Disagreement

A referral not considered to meet the threshold for assessment by Children's Social

Care;

Children's Social Care conclude that further information should be sought by the

referrer before a referral is progressed;

There is disagreement as to whether the Child Protection Procedures should be

invoked;

Children's Social Care and the Police place different interpretations on the need for

significant agency response in relation to a Child Protection Enquiry;

There is a disagreement over the sharing of information and/or provision or services;

http://trixresources.proceduresonline.com/nat_key/keywords/init_chi_prot_conf.html

http://trixresources.proceduresonline.com/nat_key/keywords/init_chi_prot_conf.html

http://trixresources.proceduresonline.com/nat_key/keywords/child_protection_plan.html


Page | 24

There is disagreement over the outcome of any assessment and whether the

appropriate action plan is in place to Safeguard and Promote the Welfare of the

Child.

3. Stage One: Preventing Disputes and Informal Dispute Procedure

Level 1

Most disagreements can be resolved through discussion and negotiation. The professionals

involved should attempt to resolve differences through discussion, but if they are unable to

do so, their disagreement must be reported by them to their line managers or equivalent.

Level 2

With respect to most day-to-day issues, the relevant line managers will be able to resolve

the disagreement. The purpose of this contact is to review the available information and to

resolve the concern. It may be helpful to consider the involvement of the designated or

named professional at this stage in preference to use of line management.

Level 3

Where it is not possible to resolve the matter at front line management level, the matter

should be referred without delay to the relevant service leads should take place; for

example, Head teachers, Service Managers, Designated Nurses, Designated GPs and

Doctors.

The issue will then be considered at service lead level and/or include Team Around the

Family, with direct communication taking place with the designated professional or named

professional for safeguarding within the individual agency or at a service lead level. Any

action agreed should be fed back immediately to the relevant managers involved and the

detail of the conflict and agreements reached should be recorded on the child's file.

4. Stage Two: Formal Dispute Procedure

If despite following the Stage One process the disagreement remains, the matter will be

referred to an appropriate Executive Manager/Lead, e.g. for Cumbria County Council

Children’s Services this will be the Assistant Director - Children and Families and in other

agencies the strategic equivalent The Executive Manager/Lead will consider the matter with

their equivalent level of management within the concerned agency who is in dispute.

The purpose of escalating the dispute to this level is to reach a position where differing

professional opinions have been taken into account and efforts made to explore whether the

dispute has arisen through lack of clarity or understanding in the professional

http://trixresources.proceduresonline.com/nat_key/keywords/sguard_prom_welf.html

http://trixresources.proceduresonline.com/nat_key/keywords/sguard_prom_welf.html


Page | 25

dialogue. Ultimately a decision will need to be reached where agencies agree a way forward

where the interests of the child take precedence over a professional stalemate.

5. Stage Three: Where Disagreements Remain

If agreement cannot be reached then the formal process should be activated. An

assessment about the degree of urgency will be determined by the Executive Manager/Lead

and an appropriate timescale lasting no longer than 7 working days to be applied. If the

issue relates to child protection then this should be determined within 24 hours.

The Executive Lead will e-mail the LSCB Chair, copy the LSCB Business Manager setting

out the issue and what has been done to try and resolve it at an informal stage.

The LSCB Chair will identify an LSCB member who is not from either of the two agencies

whose role will be to review the information and speak to the tow Executive leads. They will

then make a decision drawn from this information and any other supporting information they

request. This information is the final stage.

The LSCB Business Manager will report the formal use of the procedure to the Board in

order that any learning can be identified and actions agreed to address this.

All disputes should be resolved in a timely way so that the welfare of the child remains

paramount. In some situations, it may be required to instigate all of the stages within a short

period of time or to escalate the process so that the safety of the child is not compromised.


Page | 26

ROLE OF EARLY HELP OFFICERS (16/17 YEAR OLDS YOUTH HOMELESSNESS) In summary: working with and supporting young people aged 16-17 who are not already open to other

statutory agencies. ‘Slowing down’ potential homelessness at point of presentation; prevention; and registering Early Help Assessments where appropriate. Caseload will arise from Young People’s Panels

and Protocol Implementation Groups and direct referrals from other agencies. Purpose

To improve outcomes for young people aged 16-17 in Cumbria, who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, through the delivery of effective prevention and multi-agency support

To ensure that delivery optimises opportunities for effective integration with partners and is in line with key strategies such as the Early Help strategy and the new Joint Protocol for Homeless 16-17 Year Olds in Cumbria

To support young people ages 16-17 years who present as homeless to navigate relevant services to achieve the outcome for them.

Referral Process In cases of acute homelessness, agencies still need to follow the protocol of filling out a Single Referral Form and contacting the Hub. Referrals can come directly to Helen Walker, Emmie Sutherland and Carl Nixon using the attached very short Referral Form. Alternatively referrals can come via the Young People’s Panel in Barrow, or Protocol Implementation Groups in Allerdale/Copeland, Eden, South Lakes and Carlisle.

Referrals from…

Youth

Offending

Service

Local Protocol

Implementation

Org

Inspira Local

Support &

Protection

Teams

Local Area

Housing

Team

Safeguarding

Hub

Contact relevant Early Help Worker via email (referral form) or telephone

Helen Walker – Allerdale and Copeland [email protected] 07825 340628

Emmie Sutherland - Barrow and South Lakes [email protected] 07825 313726

Carl Nixon – Carlisle and Eden [email protected] 07881 264512





Page | 27

Referral Form – Early Help Officers (16/17 Year Olds Youth Homelessness)

Name DOB District

Referral Agency/Officer Date of Referral

Purpose Required Outcome

Additional Information

Contact Details (telephone number if known/applicable)

Consent statement for information sharing and storage We need to collect the information within this referral so that we can ensure that you get the help you need. If we cannot cover all of your needs, we may need to share some of this information with the local Housing team, Children’s Services, Supported Accommodation Providers, Inspira, NHS etc so that they can help us to provide the services you need. If we need to share this information with any other organisations later to offer you more help, we will ask you again before we do. We will treat your information as confidential and we will not share it with any other organisation unless we are required by law to share it or unless you will come to some harm if we do not share it. In any case we will only ever share the minimum information we need to share.

I understand that the information recorded on this form, will be stored and used for the purposes of providing services to: me this child to whom I am a parent/carer

I have had the reasons for information sharing explained to me and I understand those reasons, I agree to the sharing of information Signed: ____________________________________________ Date: __ __/__ __/__ __ Please complete and send to: [email protected] (Allerdale and Copeland) [email protected] (Barrow and South Lakes) [email protected] (Carlisle and Eden)




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