Children in Supported Accommodation
Case reference FOI2026/00998
Received 24 April 2026
Published 16 June 2026
Request
I am writing to make a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. I would be grateful if you could provide the following information:
1. Please provide. data for the most recent 12-month period available on the number of children placed in supported accommodation in your area, broken down by entry route:
a) via section 20 of the Children Act 1989
b) move from other settings
c) via homelessness or housing duty routes under the Housing Act 1996. d) other
2) Please confirm whether your local authority's contract with its in-house or externally commissioned independent advocacy service includes provision for 16- and 17-year-old children at the point of assessment or after placement in supported accommodation via homelessness or housing duty routes.
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CLARIFICATION 1 REQUESTED Specifically, please clarify: 1. Q1(b) – “Move from other settings” Could you please clarify what is meant by “move from other settings”? For example: o Is this intended to capture children that don’t fall into Q1(a), Q1(c) or Q1(d)? o Or is it intended to refer only to specific placement types (e.g. foster care, residential care, family arrangements, custody, etc.)? 2. Q1(d) – “Other” As currently framed, this appears to overlap with Q1(b). Could you confirm: o What types of entry route you expect to be recorded under “other”, o How this should be distinguished from “move from other settings”?
CLARIFICATION 1 RESPONSE: Specifically, please clarify: 1. Q1(b) – “Move from other settings” Could you please clarify what is meant by “move from other settings”? For example: o Is this intended to capture children that don’t fall into Q1(a), Q1(c) or Q1(d)? o Or is it intended to refer only to specific placement types (e.g. foster care, residential care, family arrangements, custody, etc.)? This refers to when a child was previously looked after but in a different setting, i.e. residential, custody, kinship, foster care - all other known care settings. 2. Q1(d) – “Other” As currently framed, this appears to overlap with Q1(b). Could you confirm: o What types of entry route you expect to be recorded under “other”, We have left this open to local authorities to interpret as some may have different categories to others, but as an example, an emergency care order o How this should be distinguished from “move from other settings”? If for example there are no former settings and this is a child's first entry into care
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CLARIFICATION 2 REQUESTED In relation to question 1: Do you want information on young people under the age of 18 who have approached the council for housing (either through homelessness/housing duties or duties under the Children’s Act) where the young person was the applicant/client and not part of a household where they are a dependent child? OR Do you want the number of households with children under 18 who have been placed in temporary accommodation?
CLARIFICATION 2 RESPONSE: Just to confirm, the first option please.
Response
I am writing to make a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
I would be grateful if you could provide the following information:
1. Please provide. data for the most recent 12-month period available on the number of children placed in supported accommodation in your area, broken down by entry route:
a) via section 20 of the Children Act 1989
A: 27
b) move from other settings
A: 24
c) via homelessness or housing duty routes under the Housing Act 1996.
A: During the 12 month period 01/04/25 – 31/03/26 the team recorded the number of households where the main applicant was 16/17yrs approaching the Homelessness Team as 6.
Of the above 6 households, 0 Prevention Duties were accepted.
Of the above 6 households, 3 Relief Duties were accepted resulting in three households being placed in temporary accommodation under S188 of the Housing Act 1996.
Of the above 3 households, a Main Housing Duty under S193 of the Housing Act 1996 was accepted towards 1 household, whilst 2 households accepted an offer of supported accommodation ending the Relief Duty and closing the case.
d) other
A: 3
2) Please confirm whether your local authority's contract with its in-house or externally commissioned independent advocacy service includes provision for 16- and 17-year-old children at the point of assessment or after placement in supported accommodation via homelessness or housing duty routes.
A: The council has a contract with Hear Me! to provide independent advocacy services for 16/17 year olds who are homeless or threatened with homelessness.
The Housing Solutions Team try to employ their services whenever possible for the joint assessment interviews undertaken by Children’s Services and the Housing Solutions Team with 16/17 yr olds who are homeless or threatened with homelessness. You will need to check with Children’s Services as to whether they employ Hear Me! in any other roles.
The Service Area have advised that Hear Me! are an independent children’s rights and advocacy service.
Documents
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