Public reports pack PDF 3 MB - Blaby District Council

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5. Conclusions
Each young person who comes to us for help with housing presents a unique set of challenges. In the current economic times and
with forthcoming welfare reforms the preparedness of the council is essential to ensure the right help is provided from clear
signposting to in depth assessment and referral.
National evidence shows an increase in youth homelessness and without early intervention and prevention action, and a protection
for funding for youth homelessness services there is a risk of creating a new generation of young people who will have severe and
complex needs later in life. Source - Homeless Link Survey Dec 2011.
Blaby Housing Options team is consistently delivering a high level of prevention and intervention actions. The concerns and issues
raised with scrutiny shows its commitment to providing an excellent service.
Refreshing the 16-17 year old Homelessness Protocol has been long and protracted and the working group welcomes progress
now being made to make it more fit for purpose relevant for Districts and County Social Services.
The working group had difficulty getting real time youth homelessness data and benchmarking information from both County Social
Services and Housing Options and in some cases there was no clarity and little value in the information provided.
There needs to be a more co-ordinated and transparent approach to data collection to allow for more meaningful and useable
information.
It is imperative Social Services and districts work jointly in order to maximise resources and meet the duty to young people. The
working group is satisfied steps are being to address communication issues and this should continue.
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