News

A potential loophole that may have forced councils to take the children of intentionally homeless families into care was closed last week by a clause added to the Homelessness Bill.

Speaking at the third reading of the bill in the House of Lords, housing minister Lord Falconer said it was now council housing departments responsibility to consider the housing needs of intentionally homeless families with children. Previously local authorities only had a statutory duty to meet the housing needs of unintentionally homeless families with children.

He added that housing departments must also inform social services when dealing with homeless families with children.

Lord Falconer said: "It is essential that when dealing with homeless families with children there is positive co-operation between housing and social services departments, and that there are joint protocols in place to ensure that this is carried into practice."

Mike Leadbetter, president of the Association of Directors of Social Services, w said the association had worked with the housing minister to have the clause added to the bill.

He said: "We were worried that the clause was going to be clumsily or inappropriately worded. It could have opened the door to housing saying the children of intentionally homeless families were not their responsibility, but social services under the Children Act."

Leadbetter added that the change in responsibility would help improve social services relationship with housing.

The bill is expected to receive royal assent in February.