Charity wants B&Bs assessed before use

Risk assessments carried out on bed and breakfast accommodation
should occur before they house young people at risk of offending,
campaigners said last week.

In response to the Youth Justice Board’s consultation, charity
Rainer said many young people in B&Bs were housed with adult
offenders or those with substance misuse or mental health
problems.

It also urged the YJB to commit to phasing out the use of
bed-and-breakfasts altogether for under-18s.

It was also concerned that councils were failing to assess whether
young people understood the consequences of their behaviour before
deeming them “intentionally” homeless.

The YJB will publish a report on the responses in the autumn.