1. Barnardo’s Young People’s
Project in Northumberland
Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and
SC037605

2. What is the need we are
addressing?
• Information from the Homeless Link Young and Homeless
survey suggests that across England as many as 13,000
young people presented as homeless or sought housing
advice and information in October 2011
• 44% of homelessness service providers reported that the % of
their clients aged under 25 had increased in the last year,
while almost half of the local authorities (48%) did likewise
• The responses show that on average a third of young clients
(33%) left social housing, either the family home or their own
tenancy, and a further fifth left the home their family owned
(19%). On average less than a fifth had left the private rented
sector (14%) or been in care (13%).
Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and
SC037605

3. What is the need in
Northumberland
• Northumberland is intrinsically rural but to varying degrees.
The county is officially the most sparsely populated in England.
• Within the most deprived communities almost a third of
working age people claim incapacity benefit
• 39% of homelessness applications are in the 16-24 age range
with most young people being made homeless due to a
breakdown in family relationships. Family and friend eviction is
Northumberland’s second highest reason for homelessness
• We know that every year our social work teams receive over
4,000 referrals and, at any one time, about 3000 children and
young people need support from a social work service. Around
190 children need a child protection plan and 270 need to be
looked after
Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and
SC037605

4. What are we doing?
WHAT CRASH PAD SERVICE
OFFERS:
Barnardo's Crash Pad Service provides:
• temporary supported accommodation
• to 16 - 17 year-olds who are homeless
• or threatened with homelessness,
• sometimes as a result of a family
• dispute.
• This accommodation is for up to 8
• weeks and is provided by hosts
• carefully matched to young people to
• ensure the young person feels as safe
• and comfortable as possible.
Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and
SC037605

5. Crash Pad
• Emergency Short term accommodation in the homes of
individuals, couples or families – Crash Pad hosts
• Crash Pad hosts are recruited, assessed, trained and checks
taken up to ensure are suitable and safe
• Up to 8 weeks
• Young people aged 16 – 18 years old, or have care leaver
status up to 21 years old, and homeless
• Aim of the scheme to try to resolve issues to enable young
person to return home or to someone within the family
• Volunteer mediators identified to work with young person and
their family
• Where young person cannot return home to identify along with
referrer the next option for the young person
Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and
SC037605

6. Barnabas Safe & Sound and
Northumberland County Council
“SAFE SPACE” CRASH PAD PROJECT
Homelessness Prevention Fund &
Housing Benefit Funded
• Opened 1st April 2011.
• 2 units of accommodation above Barnabas’s office in Morpeth
• Refurbished to a decent standard
• 24h periodic licence agreement
• Maximum of 2h daily support Monday- Friday first thing in the morning
• Residents need to hand in keys during the day Monday-Friday
• On call back up from duty staff
• All referrals are via Homelessness & Housing Options

7. “Safe Space” Crash Pad-
Outcomes
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 YTD
Provision Provision
al al
Occupancy 88% 57% 72% 75% 75%
Throughput 4 6 6 6
Move ons 1 to own 2 2 1 move to 5 to own
flat Abandoned Abandoned supported flat
1 2 1 housing 3 returned
Abandone negotiated negotiated 3 move to home
d return stay with own flat 2
home family Supported
2 evicted 1 move to Housing
1 move to supported 5
own flat housing Abandoned
2 Evicted

8. Safe Space Crash Pad Learning
• Avoid Complacency - All referrals risk assessed with third party input where
appropriate eg Addiction Service, CAMHS, Safer Estates
• Emergency rations, washing & cleaning packs essential
• Maintain accommodation standards - cleaning
• Don’t get too settled - Focus on move on options from the start
• Consider what is needed for a quick home set up
• Avoid boredom - Focus on meaningful activity and support college
attendance
• Who’s going to provide support post move on?
• Build partnerships - Good liaison with Homelessness & Housing Options
Team & Children's Services Initial Response Team essential

9. The Moving On Project
• Department of Health Tier 4 Capital programme had
money available to address accommodation issues for
those with complex needs
• No emergency accommodation for Y/P released from
custody or facing an immediate housing crisis in the
community
• The project is for Y/P who are known to either Children’s
Services , Youth Offending Service, Sorted and 16+ who are at
risk of remand to custody or serving a custodial sentence
Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and
SC037605

10. The Moving On project
• To support Y/P to engage with relevant agencies to address
substance misuse issues, engagement in ETE and any other
identified needs
• Barnardo’s provide a support worker for the properties.
minimum of 2 contacts a week, out of hours support, support
towards Transitions/Exit Strategies.
Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and
SC037605

11. What difference do we make ?
(based on 131 current open cases as at 1.2.12 )
• Stable and secure accommodation
• 37% showing an improvement between the first and last assessment
• 27 % showing an improvement of 2 scores or more
• Increased confidence
• 38% showing an improvement between the first and last assessment
• 13% showing an improvement of 2 scores or more
• Understanding of personal finance
• 39% showing an improvement between first and last assessment
• 12% showing an improvement of 2 scores or more
• Young people supported in accessing EET
• 25% showing an improvement between first and last assessment
• 12% showing an improvement of 2 scores or more
Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and
SC037605

12. Moving On Star of success
Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and
SC037605

13. Moving On Star of Success
Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and
SC037605

14. Case study: Marie, Moving
On
• What was the Need
• Numerous local authority placements including foster care,
residential care and intensive supported accommodation. This
has been due to a complex combination of serious drug misuse,
offending behaviour, and damaging and abusive relationships -
unable to break out of a destructive cycle of self abuse
Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and
SC037605

15. What did we do?
• Following the referral, pre tenancy work began. Marie moved in to a MO
property at the beginning of October 2011
• Identified and produced a specific action plan to address Marie’s needs.
At this stage Marie was showing signs of some dissatisfaction with her
situation and a willingness to make changes
• An important aspect of this support work was to ensure Marie attended
her many and important appointments with numerous agencies. MO
has become the fulcrum, ‘project managing’ her situation. Marie has
made the transition to adult services
• Work re maximising benefits and referral onto Palmersville Training
Centre where she has already been offered an apprenticeship
placement part funded through Northumberland County Council
Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and
SC037605

16. What impact did it have
• Marie has successfully maintained her methadone
programme for 4 months and is now trusted to self
medicate.
• There has been no offending since November 2011. All
offences have now been dealt with in court
• Her long term aims are to move to complete
independent living, achieve full time work and pass her
driving test. Her relationship with her family is
improving and they are proud of what she has achieved
so far
Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and
SC037605

17. Homeless Watch
Recommendations
• At the local level
• Providers and local authorities need to work together to put
rapid responses in place to prevent young people from
sustained homelessness and widely promote these responses to
non-housing professionals
• Local authority Housing and Children Services’ departments
need to work better together
• Local authorities should protect funding for family mediation
services which can provide a vital link to keeping a young
person with their family
• Every local authority needs to provide access to suitable
emergency accommodation for young people at risk of
homelessness
Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and
SC037605

18. Questions for consideration
• What does ‘move on’ mean to you?
• .What ‘move-on’ accommodation, support, advice and guidance
do you currently offer?
• .What gaps exist in ‘move-on’ provision in your areas?
Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and
SC037605