Young people, housing and homelessness

The Centre for the Study of Missing Persons at the University of Portsmouth has published a report on the locations and characteristics of people who are reported missing to the police repeatedly in a one year period. Key points include that:

• Out of 313,000 reports to British police in 2011-12 of missing people 64 percent involved children;
  Private care homes were the most common place for people to go missing from, with 99.5 percent of those people aged 18 years or under; and
• Law and guidance prevents care home workers from physically intervening to prevent a young person from running away.

To download the report visit www.port.ac.uk/media/contacts-and-departments/icjs/csmp/Repeat-reports-to-the-police-of-missing-people.pdf.

The latest temporary accommodation figures from the Department for Communities and Local Government show that 3,020 families with children were living in hostels or women's refuges during the first quarter of 2014. This is the highest figure in six years. For further information visit www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/339003/Statutory_Homelessness_1st_Quarter__Jan_-_March__2014_England_20140729.pdf.

The government has announced funding allocations for each council to extend support for young people in foster care until they reach 21. For further information visit www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/1145931/councils-receive-staying-funding-allocations?WT.rss_f=Management+-+Disciplines&WT.rss_a=Councils+receive+Staying+Put+funding+allocations.