Homeless children at risk after being rehoused

Homeless charities are demanding urgent changes to housing policy across Britain after an investigation by The Independent uncovered cases of children dying from neglect and abuse after families were moved out of their local authority boundaries.

Apparently, councils are moving homeless families out of their local areas on an unprecedented scale to save money on accommodation, but they are frequently neglecting to share records with each other. This has meant that thousands of vulnerable women and children are completely off the radar of support services.

Figures obtained by The Independent show that at least 64,704 homeless families were moved out of London boroughs between July 2011 and June 2015. More recent data has yet to be collated.

The research suggests at least a third of families are moved without information being shared with the receiving council, though it is not known how high that figure could potentially be. Councils are legally obliged to send notification under Section 208 of the Housing Act 1996.

But Javed Khan, chief executive of homeless charity Barnardo’s, told The Independent:  “Children’s lives can be put at risk if homeless families fall off the radar of authorities. Councils must share information more effectively to stop that happening.”

Shelter’s chief executive, Campbell Robb, said that out-of-area moves are “far too common and can have a disastrous effect on health and wellbeing” but that one problem is the Government not giving councils “realistic budgets to find accommodation locally.”

“The modest proposals in the Budget to tackle homelessness are simply inadequate given the scale of this problem, and will not reach the thousands of homeless families hidden away in cramped B&Bs and dingy hostel rooms.”

Dave Hill, president of The Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS), said: “The importance of close liaison and good communications between local authorities is particularly pressing where there are vulnerable children or safeguarding concerns, but we also have a role to play in finding school places and helping families access childcare.”

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) declined to comment on The Independent’s investigation and would not confirm or deny that policy is being reviewed, but admitted “we know more must be done on homelessness” and said it is “considering all options, including legislation, to prevent more people becoming homeless in the first place.”