CENTREPOINT AND THE COMMITTEE'S ENQUIRY

  1.  Centrepoint is a national charity and a housing association. Established 35 years ago, we work to help young people on a downward spiral—especially homeless young people—build firm foundations, turn their lives around and fulfil their potential. We have always worked to influence public policy and provision as well as provide direct services.

  2.  Using 250 full-time staff and additional volunteers our £12 million turnover finances direct work (mostly in London) with 1,600 of Britain's most disadvantaged young people each year. We also animate local partnerships of organisations dedicated to tackling youth homelessness (currently in Worcestershire, Durham and Gateshead). We work nationally to influence policy, provision and practice on youth homelessness and social exclusion, based on the evidence of our work and always working with young people.

  3.  In this memorandum the points raised by the Committee which are most relevant to the young people Centrepoint works with have been addressed in turn. We would be happy to elaborate on these matters verbally, or arrange for the Committee to visit some of the young people we work with and hear their views and experiences directly. Please contact Lisa Nandy, Policy and Research Officer, on 020 7426 5373 for more information.

INTEGRATED SERVICES

  4.  Centrepoint is concerned that while housing services are mentioned as a possible component of Children's Trusts, they will not necessarily form part of a local authority's Children's Department. We strongly recommended in our response to the Every Child Matters consultation that housing workers who are involved with children or young people should have a duty to be involved in decisions regarding them. It is often the housing worker who knows the most about the family or young person because they have to collect so much information about them prior to any decision.

  5.  It is vital that multi-disciplinary teams include housing workers even if housing does not form part of the Children's Trust. Decisions about housing cannot be taken in isolation from decisions about other aspects of a child or young person's welfare because the two are symbiotic.

  6.  Prevention of homelessness requires responses across statutory provision and not just from housing. In light of this Connexions or Children's Trusts need to take responsibility for ensuring that locally available early interventions are accessible for young people and that they are operating with the common purpose of homelessness prevention in mind.

  7.  We are also concerned to ensure that refugee professionals are involved in integrated services. We work with increasing numbers of young refugees and are aware that working with and for them sometimes requires specialist knowledge. We are concerned that without their inclusion in the specialist teams young refugees will not be adequately supported.

LISTENING TO CHILDREN

  8.  The Children's Commissioner is generally regarded very positively by the young people supported by Centrepoint. However there is a great deal of cynicism about whether children and young people will be listened to, and so it is crucial that this is more than a token measure.

  9.  Our concerns mainly focus on the extent of the powers of the Commissioner. In addition, the young people we work with do not generally feel that they are represented or that their views are taken into account by decision makers. We are concerned to ensure that they will also have access to the Commissioner.

  10.  It is vital that children and young people are involved from the very beginning in policy and service formulation, development and evaluation. We strongly believe that children and young people should be involved in selecting and evaluating the Commissioner, and we are very concerned that there is no provision in the Children Bill to ensure this.

  11.  To be effective the post must be independent and report directly to Parliament, rather than to the Secretary of State as currently stands. Without these measures children and young people will not regard the Commissioner as an independent and visible advocate on their behalf. We also believe the Government should have a duty to respond to the Commissioner's reports.

  12.  The power of appointment currently rests with the Secretary of State which to some extent undermines the Commissioner's independence. In addition ministers will have power to direct the Children's Commissioner to undertake inquiries. We feel strongly that potential inquiries should originate from children and young people and not from the Government.

  13.  In addition we agree with the Children's Commisioner for Wales that it is important that the Commissioner must (rather than may) have regard to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

  14.  We also agree that the Children's Commissioner must have the power to investigate individual cases, in addition to general practice, so that children and young people can approach the Commissioner directly. We understand the Government's fear that the Commissioner could become hindered by large amounts of casework. However we believe it would raise the Commissioner's profile, make him/her more accessible to children and young people, and increase his/her ability to speak with authority on issues affecting children and young people.

  15.  In order to re-engage young people it is also vital that they can see positive action resulting from their involvement with the Children's Commissioner. Without a well staffed and resourced office this will be impossible. We are concerned that the legislation places control of the Commissioner's budget with the Secretary of State thus enabling it to be reduced or withdrawn as he or she wishes.

  16.  We welcome the clause in the Children Bill which states the Children's Commissioner must have regard to groups of children who lack adequate means to make their views known. Many young people feel very strongly that the Government does not engage with those children and young people for whom the system does not work. In order to improve the system it is vital that the most excluded are engaged.

  17.  In order to achieve this we recommend that the Commissioner finds imaginative ways to access children and young people and does not rely solely on schools. For example a mechanism for canvassing opinion in care homes, youth clubs and through the probation system could be established. Young people outside London also feel very strongly that their different views and needs must be represented, and are not always at present.

  18.  We fully support the amendments made by the House of Lords which would extend the Commissioner's remit to vulnerable young people, who we would define as young offenders, 18-21 year old careleavers, young people with learning difficulties and young people under the age of 22 who feel they need the additional protection the Commissioner affords.

WORKING WITH PARENTS

  19.  Centrepoint welcomes the Government's emphasis on providing guidance and role models for young people, particularly those at risk. In recent research we found that less than half of homeless young people (47%) identified their parents as positive role models compared to two thirds of all young people who identified their parents as a source of encouragement and inspiration. The majority of young homeless people rely mainly on themselves (78%).[11] Therefore we consider it vital that support for young people includes providing role models throughout their childhood and teenage years. Rebuilding links between parents and children is one way to do this.

  20.  We also know that the vast majority of young people who approach us for help are homeless because of a breakdown in family relations. We consider support for families crucial in helping to create stable environments for children and young people and give them the best chances in life. However, these services must be culturally sensitive and able to reach children and young people with the most disadvantaged and deprived backgrounds.

  21.  The young people we asked feel very strongly that tensions normally arise between parents and children for reasons wholly unconnected to their relationship. They felt the main source of tension was money and we recommend that support for parents includes debt and money advice. We recognise the Government's focus on targeting financial support at families and we hope that sufficient funds will continue to be made available in order that financial pressures in the home are eased.

  22.  Many young people felt that tensions in the home often escalate beyond repair because it is difficult for parents to get out of the house. We strongly recommend that the Government provides respite for isolated, socially excluded parents on benefits, particularly those with young children.

  23.  We strongly support providing assistance for parents in the early years when they are undergoing fundamental life changes. Many children felt it would be very useful for their parents to be taught parenting skills by other local parents in an informal setting. A good model for this is the scheme run by Homestart where volunteers visit parents in their own homes and give advice on an informal and friendly basis.

  24.  This is vital because it will be impossible for the Government to provide support where parents are unwilling to accept help. Most young people feel very strongly that they and their parents would be opposed to the idea of strangers interfering in family life. Any support must be provided on a voluntary basis to people who request it. Support of this nature will only be accepted if it offers some practical benefits such as grants or other practical assistance in addition to the support and development approach. We recommend that teachers, parents and children or young people are involved in the process. Many young people are extremely opposed to the idea that teachers and parents may work together without their involvement and are keen that their voices should be heard.

  25.  We also recommend that support is made available for the parents of teenagers. This is a time when relationships can come under a great deal of strain. At that stage we do not consider it appropriate to provide parenting classes but advice and information so parents feel better able to support their children would be very welcome.

THE CREATION, MANAGEMENT AND SHARING OF RECORDS, INCLUDING ELECTRONIC DATABASES.

  26.  The Children Bill enables the Secretary of State to require local authorities in England and Wales to establish databases containing basic information about all children and young people. The database seeks to facilitate information sharing between providers of children's services about the children and young people they support.

  27.  Centrepoint cautiously welcomes this proposal as it is important that children and young people are not "lost" to the system, but the focus must not be about just improving technical ability to share information. The technical aspect of this proposal (database development and legal aspects of sharing information) is important but there must be a commitment to managing cultural change amongst those working with children and young people to ensure more effective collaboration.

  28.  In addition we are concerned that requirements to share information may deter young people from seeking confidential advice and information. It is essential that young people can seek advice and support without the fear that this will be communicated elsewhere, particularly in small towns and villages or rural areas, where this may become more widely known.

  29.  There must be clarity about who owns information and an age limit at which point the information will be destroyed. Providing clarity gives young people the ability to decide whether to approach services for help because they are aware of all the implications.

YOUNG PEOPLE

  30.  We welcome the emphasis on protection for young children. However we consider it vital that development is also built into the strategy for teenagers. At this age it is crucial that young people are given the opportunities they need to fulfil their potential.

  31.  For young people at risk there is a further crucial element: to help them become more resilient and learn to cope with the difficulties they currently face and will continue to face throughout life. Centrepoint places a great deal of emphasis on this as part of our support work with young people, and consider equipping young people with the skills they need to cope alone crucial to any effective support strategy. This is an essential part of any strategy that hopes to break the inter-generational cycle of disadvantage, social exclusion and increased risk. We hope that building resilience and helping young people to develop will not be sidelined by the attempts to protect younger children.

  32.  Although young people are not a homogenous group it is vital that all agencies involved with them recognise that they are distinct from, and have different needs to both children and adults. The transition to adulthood is an extremely difficult time and focusing on services for young children and their parents may allow this highly vulnerable group to slip through the net. It is important to recognise that many young people at this age are living independently, effectively being forced to behave as adults, but without the experience, emotional maturity and skills to cope with this.

  33.  We strongly recommend that Children's Trusts are renamed Children and Young People's Trusts to reflect the fact that they are dealing with two distinct groups.

VOLUNTARY SECTOR INVOLVEMENT

  34.  We are concerned that there is no explicit reference to the voluntary and community sector in the Bill although it plays a crucial role in the provision of services. Although the government has stated the guidance will promote the role of voluntary organisations in delivering services this will not carry statutory force.

  35.  The important role played by the voluntary and community sector should be made explicit in guidance issued to local authorities responsible for setting up the Children's Trusts. Children's Trusts should be required to involve the voluntary and community sector as an equal partner.

  36.  We suggest this could operate in a similar fashion to the Children's Fund with representatives on the board, feeding information into the board from the voluntary sector and back to the voluntary sector from the board. This could work in addition or as an alternative to a voluntary sector forum which would feed information and advice to the board. It would be crucial for this to operate as a two-way flow of information.

November 2004