Homelessness a Symptom of Care?

Duncan Dunlop Who Cares? Scotland

WC?S Structure

Advocacy Participation Influencing

Organisational Development

Motion proposed…

This conference believes that

Homelessness is a symptom of a

poor care experience

1. Efforts to end homelessness must focus on young people with experience of care

2. All care systems need to be based on love.

These are our Children

16,248 children

1.48% of Scottish children

Outcomes over time Area 2001 2011

% of LAC in Higher education 1% 2.6%

% of LAC with Mental Health problems

45% 50%

% of LAC / YCLs presenting as homeless Homelessness

30% 30%

% of LAC sustaining a Positive destination

n/a 55% sustained

% of LAC Represented in the adult prison population

27% 28%-50%

% of LAC who are Young offenders

n/a Up to 80%

Premature death YCLs 20 times more likely to die prematurely

Prevention Makes Financial Sense…

1.48% of Scotland’s total population 50% of Polmont 30% of homeless population

Young people with care experience & youth participation

What Care Leavers can achieve…

Young people said

Listen

Do care with us, not to us Loved

Tony

Mercy

The Love Children in Care need

What is love Based on relationships Based on trust and respect Given the time and space to get to know you Stands by you for the long-term Listens to you, hears what you say and acts on it Has aspirations for you Gives respectful challenge Love that binds and the love that isn’t blind We don’t love the flaws, we love them because of their strengths.

You feel good by doing good

Relationship role

The rights of the child are protected and stronger where the relationship around them is strong and held in place

If the relationship weakens or goes, this impacts on the rights of the child – and some of them get lost or not realised

RIGHTS

Relationship

Young person on a downward spiral within

birth family

Relationships in care which help them go upwards

Young person’s situation redressed in care

Skills of the workforce

Stamping out stigma

Personal

Structural

Cultural

What can it achieve?

1% 2% 5% 0% 0%

75%

55%

78%

80s 90s 00s

Aw

are

ne

ss le

vels

Decade

LGBT

Fairtrade

LAC

Creating the way for change

Structural change: In 2001 Nora O’Neil reviewed Public Service Provision in the UK. She concluded that we need to stop getting the individual to fit the service, but rather meet the individual’s needs via responsive services.

C&YP Bill potential

Personalisation SDS

Prevention Early Intervention

Early Years GIRFEC

Creating the way for change

Cultural change

Creating the way for change Personal / individual change

Rev. Grant Barkley of St. Kerrigan’s

‘My perception of YP in care was based on views I had of it way in the past, that it was

for boys & girls who perhaps had been bad & were housed in fairly large

numbers in institutions & my other view of it was coloured by Tracey Beaker. I

suspect that people I the community also thought the same, that YP looked after by the LA were likely to be trouble, as it has turned out that perception couldn’t be

further from the truth.’

Reaching audiences, together

Is it acceptable to place your young people in homeless hostels alongside adults who have a range of complex needs such as drug, alcohol and mental health issues?

How can you support your young people in care to remain with the people they have formed a stable and trusting relationship with till their mid-20’s

Are your young people prioritised on the housing lists and offered accommodation in Safe, thriving communities, close to where they were cared for?

Do your public servants and communities recognise young people in care as their own children too?

Will all young people who have care experience be recognised as a distinct socio-economic group who suffer discrimination and need greater protection?

What we can change

Thank-you

Duncan Dunlop ddunlop@whocaresscotland.org