A survey into the housing related support needs of young parents in Norfolk. Draft v2

Transcription

1 A survey into the housing related support needs of young parents in Norfolk Draft v2

2 1. Introduction The target population for this review were young parents with housing support needs. Government policy has been focused on the needs of young people who became parents before the age of 18. Locally the Teenage Pregnancy Strategic Unit extends the focus to include young people who became parents when they were 18. In this review the remit has not been applied strictly. This is partly because many of the challenges faced by young parents aged 17 are also faced by young parents aged 19 and in their very early 20's. Additionally the task of engaging young parents to talk about their needs can be tough. We wanted to make this piece of work accessible for young parents to participate. Consequently we did not overly emphasise criteria such as the age at which someone first had a child in promoting participatory events. In 2005 Norfolk Supporting People initiated a survey of the housing related support needs of young parents in Norfolk. This work was undertaken with the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy Partnership Board and the Teenage Pregnancy Strategic Co-ordinator. The survey consisted of two stages. For the first stage strategic housing, accommodation and support providers and other stakeholders completed a questionnaire. In many cases this was followed up by an interview. At the second stage interviews and group discussions were arranged with young parents. The overall aim of this work was to judge the extent to which the housing and housing support needs of young parents are met adequately and effectively within Norfolk. The survey of providers and stakeholders enabled a mapping of the supply of services for young parents and identification of key issues. The direct work with young parents offered insights into the barriers they face, their perceptions of how well their needs are currently met and captures some of their ideas for change. This survey will feed directly into the countywide strategic work currently underway on the housing related support needs of young people. 2. Policy context In 1999, the Government s Social Exclusion Unit set out a 30 point action plan, working across Government to halve conception rates among under 18s by 2010 and improve RC/ SP/ July

3 support for young people who become parents 1. The Teenage Pregnancy Unit was set up to oversee implementation. The Government set out expectations in respect of accommodating teenage parents: 'By 2003, all under 18 teenage lone parents who cannot live with family or partner should be placed in supervised semi-independent housing with support, not in an independent tenancy' This report highlighted the isolation and lack of support experienced by young parents when they were housed in independent tenancies. Local authorities were charged with auditing and assessing the local housing and support needs of young parents. Findings from pilot work were published by the ODPM - now the Department of Communities and Local Government 2. This indicated the role of the local teenage pregnancy strategy co-ordinator in bringing together key local agencies to plan and manage schemes in partnership. It also identified the range of housing support options that could be used to support teenage parents. In addition to accommodation based schemes the report commented on the advantages of using floating support for teenage parents in ordinary tenancies. It cautioned, however, about the importance of ensuring that young parents were accommodated in adequate standard properties. The report also emphasised the importance of floating support models addressing the social and peer support needs of teenage parents especially where they were in dispersed properties, as more likely in rural areas. The Norfolk Teenage Pregnancy Strategy Partnership Board produced Preventing Teenage Pregnancy - A Joint Strategy for Norfolk. The Action Plan for included strategic goals consistent with national priorities. One specific objective of the action plan was to ensure there was appropriate housing for lone parents under the age of eighteen who could not live with their families or partner. The Children and Young Persons Plan developed in 2006 by Norfolk County Council Children's Services highlights the priority to develop a countywide housing strategy for young people. Supporting People has provided an umbrella under which this work can be progressed with North Norfolk District Council and Children's Services taking a joint lead. 1 'Teenage Pregnancy', Social Exclusion Unit, 1999 RC/ SP/ July

4 The measures of the effectiveness of a countywide housing and housing support strategy would include growth in access to safe and appropriate accommodation for young people and reduction of the use of temporary accommodation for household. The strategy is likely to address working arrangements between the key organisations involved in housing and supporting young people, including young parents. These measures accord with the government expectation that use of bed and breakfast, as temporary accommodation, will be ended for young people aged by This survey has spanned a two year period and in that time there has been considerable change in respect of provision of services that young parents might use and, in particular for some of the organisations which provide these services. The changes are indicated below. 3. Surveys of organisations and young parents The aims for the surveys were: To enable a profile of the housing support needs of young parents to be drawn To establish a clearer picture of the supply of supported accommodation and housing related support To ensure that SP and Partnership funding is allocated in the most effective way To gather evidence and perceptions about models of providing housing based support for teenage parents To establish where such need is most prevalent in Norfolk The first phase of the survey involved gathering the views of housing support providers and other strategic organisations involved in the support of teenage parents. 50 key organisations were identified in conjunction with the Norfolk Teenage Pregnancy Strategic Co-ordinator. Participants were contacted with information schedules and questionnaires. 2 'Guidelines for good practice in supported accommodation for young mothers', ODPM, 2003 RC/ SP/ July

5 24 respondents either returned the schedule as a questionnaire or, in the majority of cases, agreed to undertake a phone interview based around the schedule. In anticipation of how busy respondents were likely to be, repeat contacts were made to follow up the initial contact in the hope of maximising participation. There was good participation at this stage of the research from housing support providers and advice agencies. Coverage was been less even in respect of statutory agencies. For the second phase of the survey we worked with Teenage Pregnancy Strategic Unit partners to devise and carry through individual interviews and groups discussions with four samples of young parents. This work covered their housing needs and circumstances, knowledge of and access to support, unmet needs and their ideas for change. 4. Profiling the housing support needs of teenage parents The influence of poverty, disengagement from education, past experience of abuse, mental health problems, offending behaviour, living in social housing, ethnic background and coming from an area of deprivation on the likelihood of becoming a teenage parent and being the child of a young parent has been well documented 3. There is ample evidence of the links between poverty and the experience of being a young parent 4. These factors are particularly acute for young people who have been looked after or fostered as children within the care system. Researchers have argued teenage parents who have been in care face the gamut of pressures experienced by all parents but without the counter balance of consistent adult support that other young parents are more likely to have 5. National research has shown that teenage parents are relatively likely to be lone parents bringing up their children without a partner. There is geographical variation with higher numbers of young mothers who are married or cohabiting in some areas 6. 3 'Teenage Pregnancy', Social Exclusion Unit, 'Private lives and public responses', R. Ford and J. Miller, 'Doing it my way', Jenny Wilding and Mark Barton, Research Plus +, September 'Teenage parents next steps: Guidance for local authorities', Dept for Children, Schools and Families, 2007 RC/ SP/ July

6 Teenage parents are far more likely to be living in areas with a high proportion of social housing for rent 7. Research for Leicester Supporting People identified the following factors as influencing why teenage parents leave the family home 8. Overcrowding The need for independence Family breakdown Declared homeless as a means of qualifying for social housing Living with birth partner Domestic violence Leaving care Some of these issues emerge through the survey of organisations in respect of the housing pathways taken by young parents and issues that have to be managed. The availability of suitable, affordable and appropriate housing stock was mentioned as an issue in most areas. There was reported to be difficulties in accessing accommodation across the range of suitable temporary, supported and independent accommodation. Most of the participants in the survey of young parents (reported in full below) had left the parental home and the majority were living in settled housing, although many were seeking a further housing move. In many cases young parents had initially been housed through the local authority waiting list. A number had become homeless and reasons included over crowding, relationship breakdown with partner or parents; domestic violence and being asked to leave local authority care when pregnant. Some organisation respondents perceived that pressures on available housing stock resulted in young parents being housed in less desirable areas or in accommodation that does not really meet their needs. Several respondents noted the difficulty in obtaining two or three bedroom offers for young parents as an aspect of greater targeting to meet the needs of teenage parents with larger families. Lack of accommodation in some districts was said to mean that young parents were maintained for long periods in bed and breakfast or 7 As above 8 'Research into the housing-related support needs of pregnant teenagers and teenage parents', J Waller and R Pearce, Response Consulting, May 2004 RC/ SP/ July

7 remaining in an unsuitable parental family home with resulting strains on otherwise supportive family relationships. In rural areas young parents may be housed away from their family and social networks, depriving them of this support and increasing their isolation. Poor transport and lack of amenities increase these pressures. Housing support needs to be able to address these issues. Young parents benefit from peer and mutual support. Housing support needs to be well integrated with other services that enable teenage parents to meet and be with other young people. Organisations emphasised the impacts of poverty on the lives of teenage parents and their children. For advisors and providers issues of poverty could only be effectively addressed by having integrated services which would provide opportunities for young parents to increase their chances of getting paid employment. This meant adequate child care support to allow young parents to continue in education and training. One respondent felt that paid employment was not achievable for most teenage parents but unless a young parent was working they found it very difficult to keep pace with rising costs and bills. A key task is to support parents to " Find a way to get through the week without putting themselves horrendously in debt " The experience of being a young parent can be so overwhelming that it compromises the ability to function in basic areas. Late payment of housing benefit was cited as jeopardising the tenancies of some young parents particularly if there is an absence of housing support to enable them to understand the benefits systems and their obligations within it: "There is so much going on. If they are having to cope with the demands of a new baby they find it hard to get into town to sort their benefits out". Housing support needs to be delivered with an understanding of teenage parents as young people. It was said to be common to overlook this with the consequence that their emotional and social needs would be neglected as a result. But as young people teenagers also lack life experience and the experience of living alone. Housing support needs to be targeted at enabling young parents to understand and manage the practical tasks involved in running RC/ SP/ July

8 their own home. Housing support also needs to be provided as a reality check where young parents appear to be over confidant "They think that they know it all, but they don't" There is a question about the degree to which current services can support teenage parents whose needs are complex. The existence of significant patterns of mental health, substance misuse and/or offending behaviour will determine that the leading concern has to be the welfare of the child. In these cases the lead approach is likely to be one of child protection with the result that a young mother may lose responsibility for and contact with her child as he or she has to be looked after by Social Services. A number of voluntary providers reported working with young parents of looked after children and indicated the importance of support arrangements that might facilitate greater contact between parent and child in these circumstances. Our survey of organisations also highlighted the needs of young parents who are marginalised because of their lifestyles. The Magdalene Group supports street sex workers in Norwich, many of whom also present with substance misuse issues. They support a small number of teenage parents each year and perceive their client group to be poorly served by mainstream provision. Providers also indicated in considering unmet needs the extent to which the backgrounds and needs of some young parents contribute to their marginality from existing support services. The needs of young parents in Norfolk from black and minority ethnic community backgrounds are not well understood. Population Census data indicated that the black and ethnic minority population in Norfolk was relatively small, diverse and spread across the county. In 1994 a report from the Norwich and Norfolk Racial Equality Council ( Not in Norfolk NNREC) highlighted widespread lack of acknowledgement of the issues facing people with BME identities in a rural county with a predominantly white population. The report found that isolation was a common experience. Young mothers from all ethnic backgrounds face barriers to housing and support. Particular barriers for BME young people include a lack of appropriate provision, inappropriate and RC/ SP/ July

9 inaccessible locations for services, concerns about confidentiality and racism 9. Heritage and culture will influence the ways in which single parenthood is viewed by young parents and the approaches to the challenges of being a single parent. Black single mothers have been found to be more likely than white single mothers to be in paid employment and define successful parenting as involving paid work 10 In recent years Norfolk has experienced significant inward migration particularly from the European E8 states. Supporting People in conjunction with the seven district council authorities and some of the major registered social landlords has jointly planned and funded countywide research to look at the housing and support needs of people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds. Organisations also identified the challenges in supporting young fathers. Some young males will be reluctant parents with little or no concept of what being a father entails. Factors such as time and location and the reluctance of young men to talk about their feelings in respect of parenting contribute towards making young fathers difficult to support. Support environments tend to be geared towards young women and this can deter the involvement of young men in engaging with support and wider parenting responsibilities. Young fathers can be perceived as "reluctant" or may "assume they have no rights" to be involved in parenting. Effective support has to be appropriately planned and sensitively delivered to engage young fathers. At least two of the participating agencies, MAP in Norwich and GFS Platform in Yarmouth, were involved in delivering support to young fathers. Young fathers were asked about their experiences and views as part of the second stage of this survey. 5. Supply - supported accommodation and housing related support potentially available for teenage parents The table below shows the geographic distribution of existing housing support for young parents. There are two specific supported housing services for teenage parents, St Paul's Lodge in Yarmouth and Stonham Archway in Norwich. Archway was originally designed as 9 Needs of teenage parents - BmeSpark web, 10 'Private lives and public responses; lone parenthood and future policy' - Findings, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 1998 RC/ SP/ July

10 short term accommodation for young single women and has developed into the support of young parents. St Paul's Lodge is the only purpose design accommodation based scheme for teenage parents in Norfolk. Specialist accommodation provision for teenage parents is low relative to regional figures. Provider Breckland Broadland Great Yarmouth King's & Norfolk Lynn West North Norfolk Specialist accommodation St Paul's 12 Lodge Stonham 8 Archway Supported accommodation which could be accessed by teenage parents Umbrella 36 Norwich Benjamin 4 Foundation move on Temporary accommodation for homeless families - access through District Council when investigating statutory eligibility for rehousing John Room 11 House St James 20 Lodge North 20 Norfolk DC South 20 Norfolk Homeless Families South Norfolk Floating support is housing related support delivered to people in their own homes. It is used to support individuals who need help to establish a new tenancy or to prevent the breakdown of an existing tenancy. In 2006/07 arrangements for delivering floating support in Norfolk were reconfigured to meet a number of objectives including the creation of services which were well promoted and easy to access. One of the consequences was that a number of services that had previously provided support to meet specific needs such as floating support for teenage parents were replaced by one support agency, Stonham HomeStay, with effect from 1 April This is the case for six of the district council areas in Norfolk. In Great Yarmouth the Borough Council still used a group of selected agencies to provide floating support. The table below indicates the distribution of floating support services in April RC/ SP/ July

11 Floating support service users by district and client group March/April 2007 Breckland Broadland Great Kings Lynn North Norwich South TOTAL Yarmouth and West Norfolk Norfolk Norfolk Older People with support needs Offenders or people at risk of offending People with Physical or Sensory Disabilities People with Alcohol and/or Drug problems People with Learning Difficulties People with Mental health problems People who are Homeless Teenage Parents Gypsies and Travellers Women at risk of Domestic Violence Young People at risk Migrant Workers Refugees Generic Not assessed TOTAL ,723 Distribution is likely to get wider as the new arrangements becomes embedded - the figures above were complied after HomeStay had been open for just under three weeks and largely reflects the distribution pattern of services inherited from previous arrangements. The lowest numbers and distribution of service users are for teenage parents in addition to migrant workers, refugees, and offenders. The arrangements for delivering floating support, introduced in April 2007, should further encourage the growth of demand led service RC/ SP/ July

12 provision. However, the gaps in the above overview suggest that there is a case for looking more closely at the distribution of services for each client group. It is likely that housing support services for people experiencing domestic violence, single homeless, mental heath and people with substance misuse problems will also pick up the needs of teenage parents. The first stage survey for example highlighted that providers of accommodation for single homeless women accommodate and support pregnant teenagers. Some measure of the degree to which generic floating support services have engaged teenage parent can be seen from the Supporting People client record data returns for the period April March Provider organisations are asked to submit information about everyone who has commenced receiving a housing support service in that period. Teenage Parents starting to receive Floating Support in Norfolk period April March 2007 Provider Number Flagship Housing 5 Kings Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council 13 Norwich City Council Tenancy Support (included 51 Embrace floating support) North Norfolk Tenancy Support 1 South Norfolk Resettlement Support 2 St Matthew Housing 1 Circle Anglia (Wherry) 6 Total 79 The Joint Scottish Centre collects this data for Housing Research (JSCHR). In the commentary on the national figures for teenage parents who started to receive floating support between it was observed that only 2% of the young parents were male. Almost two-fifths of those who started to receive housing support nationally had been accepted as statutorily homeless by their local authority and were owed a duty under homelessness legislation. In Norfolk teenage parents formed just over 1.77% of the total needs group starting to receive a floating support service over a four year period. RC/ SP/ July

13 The needs headings used for monitoring are crude. It is likely that larger numbers of young parents will have received floating support over the four year period with their needs being recorded under the headings of 'homeless family' or 'generic' which comprised a further 17.5% of all those receiving a floating support service. Amongst the other sources of support which could include housing related advice are: Connexions Personal Advisors - countywide information, advice and support service for year olds covering a range of issues including accommodation, benefits and employment Norfolk Children's Services Youth Strategy Team - countywide programme of resources, activities and support in including Off Centre which is a free counselling service for young people age Mancroft Advice Project - based in Norwich MAP offers advice, advocacy and referral for young people from the age of 11 over a range of issues including benefits, housing and homelessness GFS Platform Great Yarmouth - Girls Friendly Society offers community based support to young parents and other young women where the emphasis includes access to education, training, inclusive activities, employment, housing and independent living Sure Start/Home Start - Providing county coverage from a number of bases Sure Start teams support parents with children under 5 who are at risk of poverty and social inclusion through providing help and support around health, social, and child care issues Embrace Young Mums - Based in Norwich Embrace provides practical help and support to young mothers Leaving Care teams - Norfolk County Council Children's services provide assessment and continuing support to young people who have been looked after as children The interviews with organisations suggest that where there have been gaps in accessible housing support agencies with a wider remit to support young parents, such as those above, will also provide housing support. The Connexions services with the placement of personal advisors in community settings appears integral to ensuring that support is best delivered where young parents are likely to be. For example, in Thetford there is a Sure Start base in an area with a high proportion of social housing and a relatively low number of RC/ SP/ July

14 support services. Sure Start workers play a prominent role in providing housing related advice and support to young people. Additionally agencies with a specialist remit area also involved in advising, supporting and advocating for young parents as part of the support offered to relatively less enfranchised groups. In Norwich The Magdalene Group offers drop in support to street sex workers and their client group includes some parents. The Matrix Project is a health based outreach service also offering support, through outreach in Norwich, to sex workers. Drug and alcohol services for young people such as The Matthew Project, also come across and support young parents. Bethany Lodge managed by the Hebron Trust offers residential rehabilitation to parents with drug and alcohol in a unit that allows parents to be accompanied by their children while receiving support. The Ormiston Trust manages a countywide advocacy and accommodation based support service for Gypsies and Travellers. This services supports Gypsies and Travellers in a range of accommodation and picks up some young parents with support needs. 1 Indicating demand for housing support from teenage parents We asked housing support providers and strategic agencies to indicate levels of need from teenage parents and the degree to which these needs could be met. Many agencies did not record or were unable to provide this information. Where the information was provided it indicated that agencies such as Stonham Archway, Embrace, GFS Platform and St Paul's Lodge, specialising in the support of teenage parents, experienced strong levels of demand for their services. If needs could not be met by an agency being approached with an enquiry or referral on behalf of a young parent the agency would sign post elsewhere so it is likely that approaches for support would be made by or on behalf of a young woman to more than one agency. Agency/provider Area Number of teenage parent referrals Number of teenage parents offered a service 03/04 St Martin's temporary Norwich 2 0 accommodation St Martin's floating support Norwich 3 0 YMCA hostel Norwich 10+ Cannot accommodate but some support offered Benjamin Foundation floating support North Norfolk 8 6 RC/ SP/ July

15 Benjamin Foundation North Norfolk 6 6 pregnant teenagers King's Lynn and West Norfolk KL&WN Borough Council Embrace Floating Support Norwich YMCA Floating Support Yarmouth 4 4 NCH Floating Support KL&WN Matthew Project Floating Countywide Support - mainly substance misuse Youth Offending Teams Countywide 2 2 Archway Norwich 14 8 St Paul's Lodge Yarmouth Hinde House Norwich 20* *Teenage parents accommodated but children accommodated separately - generally looked after by Social Services The Haven - refuge Countywide 1 1 The Magdalene Project Norwich 6 6 Total Sources of support We asked respondents to identify the sorts of support their organisation offered to teenage parents. We also asked where teenage parents were referred onto or sign posted for addition support. The table below summarises the responses from housing support providers: Organisation District Support offered Signposting onwards Housing Support Providers St Martin's - accommodation Norwich None Directed to a more for single homeless people appropriate FS provider YMCA hostel - Norwich None - some emotional support Would like to offer a accommodation for younger service for young single homeless men women in reconfigured Circle Anglia (Wherry)* Benjamin Foundation - floating support* Benjamin Foundation - Steven Newing House Embrace - floating support for teenage parents* Norwich, Broadland, Great Yarmouth and North Norfolk support as part of leaving care service emotional, financial, practical, support, guidance, accommodation and resettlement support North Norfolk tenancy support, work around health issues, parenting support and liaison with professional agencies North Norfolk can accommodate teenage parents in move-on accommodation Norwich individual support for parents in their own homes - help with facility Refer onto MAP, Embrace, district council, registered social landlord, Archway, Hinde House, Benjamin Foundation, St Matthew Housing Refer onto Heath information, Leeway, Women's Employment, Education and Training Unit, Canaan Centre citizen's advice, social services, employment and training advice; Leeway; health information: Olive Tree; Canaan Centre Young parents end up being accommodated RC/ SP/ July

16 YMCA FS* and supported lodgings accessing other agencies, forms completion, writing letter and making calls advice on education, training, employment and child care access to peer support budgeting, dealing with debt and benefits help with organising and managing a home Yarmouth offer housing related support, benefits, advocacy, budgeting offer FS for a minimum of 3 months until happy that individual can live independently GFS Platform Yarmouth GFS offers a one stop service for women under 25 who are pregnant or who have a child support areas include housing, education, access to employment, training, counselling, childcare, health and pregnancy advice St Paul's Lodge Yarmouth accommodation and resettlement support Matthew Project floating support Ormiston Children and Families Project Archway (Stonham) supported housing and floating support* Yarmouth floating support usually where there is a substance misuse issue Matthew Project offer drop in and counselling support in other areas of Norfolk Wisbech (Norfolk/Cambs border) young parents housing project offers support around tenancy sustainment and pregnancy weekly support group in Wisbech - transport provided from villages project has 4 self contained flats Norwich "skills for life, advice and support, heath, support and advocacy with health visitors, community facilities i.e. mother and baby groups, budgeting, maximising benefits, acting as an advocate with social services" through district council, Archway or Umbrella GFS also manage St Paul's Lodge the supported housing service for young women Young parents mostly housed by registered social landlords links with local social landlords refer/signpost to health visitors, Fenland district council young parents end up being accommodated in social housing or private rented with ongoing support for a further year * Note as outlined above these services have now been superseded by the Stonham HomeStay Floating Support service 6. A map of unmet needs from the perceptions of providers and strategic agencies Norwich has the highest incidence of teenage pregnancy followed by Great Yarmouth and King s Lynn. Although urban areas have the highest incidence of teenage pregnancy (all of the Top 10 wards are in Norwich, Great Yarmouth and King s Lynn), there are also pockets of high rates of teenage pregnancies in parishes in North Norfolk, Breckland and Broadland RC/ SP/ July

17 11. The wards in Norfolk with highest levels of teenage pregnancy tend to be those with the greatest deprivation. This indicates the need to concentrate housing support in addition to other services for young parents in these areas. A survey of partner providers by Connexions found that of the seven Norfolk districts there were perceived to be insufficient services for teenage parents in North Norfolk, Norwich and South Norfolk 12. The same survey echoes the points made by providers here about the imperative to address the need of young people in rural areas (the exception in respect of young people is North Norfolk which has relatively good levels of supported accommodation for young people). Teenage parents as young women in housing need Some of the agencies providing services for single homeless women predominantly and organisations working both with single women and teen parents saw common ground when asked about unmet needs on a geographical basis: Age appropriate supported accommodation Many respondents felt there should be more focus on the needs of women aged Some extended their definition of young to mid 20 s. Respondents emphasised the need for skilled and empathic intervention that could help young women who have been physically or sexually abused avoid being drawn into patterns of forming relationships with others who were likely to perpetuate abuse. Four respondents talked about the importance of having age appropriate accommodation particularly for younger women. Younger women reportedly experienced hostels with a wider age range as frightening and isolating places. There is a counter argument in which potential benefits are conceived as deriving from contact between young parents and older parents. However the lack of age appropriate accommodation for young people was also a 11 'Detailed information on supply and needs', Norfolk Supporting People, 'Connexions Norfolk needs assessment report', January 2005 RC/ SP/ July

18 finding of the review of supported accommodation for single homeless people in Greater Norwich 13 Rural needs Rural homelessness is untouched. A homeless women from Reepham or Watton would be hard pressed to get accommodation and local housing based support Floating Support Provider 7 respondents identified meeting the needs of homeless women in rural areas as a priority. Appropriate accommodation, support and transport were seen as in short supply. Providers in more urban settings reported women from across the County using their services. GFS Platform estimated that around 25% of the women using their support in Yarmouth were from outside of the county. This caused issues around the lack of a local connection in respect of rehousing. For some women the need to move away from a rural area may be a positive opportunity to break with a lifestyle and associations that have damaging. For others, one respondent noted, moving to a more urban centre to access accommodation and support may mean abandoning established family and friendship networks. One agency reported a lack of housing and support in villages and towns around the Norfolk/Cambridgeshire and Norfolk/Suffolk borders. More floating support was seen as needed. The majority of respondents provided services in Norwich, Yarmouth or Kings Lynn and West Norfolk. Additional specific geographic issues were identified in respect of housing related support needs for single homeless women Norwich Virtually all of the organisations with services that cover Norwich identified more emergency access to accommodation as a need for women. There was concern about the lack of move on accommodation in Norwich. One respondent from a hostel scheme observed: 13 'A review of hostels and supported housing in Greater Norwich', Aug 2006, Norwich CC/Norfolk SP RC/ SP/ July

19 One woman was here for over two years just because she had nowhere else to go until she was offered a flat by the council Emphasis was placed on the need to think sensitively about appropriate areas when young women are offered independent accommodation. The requirement for preventative services was noted, and two respondents made points about providing support to prevent homelessness on the fringes or peripheral estates around Norwich. In Norwich there was felt to be gaps in services offering more support for young parents in housing need during the pregnancy and immediate post pregnancy period to ensure smoother accommodation transition. There was said to be a need for a purpose built mother and baby unit, integrated with health visitor support. There was also a stated need for more floating support that should be integrated with Sure Start and Social Services support. Great Yarmouth There were concerns about the lack of move on accommodation, temporary and permanent accommodation in Yarmouth. One agency commented: There is no real move-on and work with the private sector is slow An example was given of a young parent housed in Yarmouth but isolated from her family support that was in Goreleston. A second example was given of a young woman temporarily housed in Hemsby, away from family support in Martham. Support and information for male teenage parents was felt to be a need in this area. Kings Lynn and West Norfolk Like Great Yarmouth and Norwich, King s Lynn has a number of wards of relative deprivation and relatively high conception rates for teenage mothers. Unlike Yarmouth and RC/ SP/ July

20 Norwich there is no dedicated supported accommodation for teenage parents. High support services for teenage parents were identified by two agencies as needed in West Norfolk. One respondent favoured a mother and baby supported scheme using self-contained flats but with access to 24 hour support. This was envisaged as linked to a resettlement team with a housing support outreach function. More floating support was also felt to be needed as well as more move on accommodation. In this area as in Norwich it was felt that appropriate support for women whose children are looked after by social services could facilitate more contact. Mediation support for young fathers was also envisaged as a need in this and other districts. There was said to be a lack of joined up working in respect of young parents in King s Lynn and West Norfolk. Services were said to be too parochial. North Norfolk The lack of affordable housing and shortages of appropriate accommodation were felt to be problematic in North Norfolk. Cromer and Mundsley were identified as areas of relative deprivation within the district. These factors mean that the threshold for housing intervention has to be high in terms of an individual young parent's circumstances: "Sometimes if the district council get any whiff that a family may continue to put the person up they will not make it a priority to help". Resulting overcrowding can strain family relationships to near breaking point but the parents of young parents will not force their children out of the family home unless there is suitable accommodation. Limitations on housing supply also result in the inappropriate use of bed and breakfast accommodation for teenage parents: "standards of bed and breakfasts start at poor and finish at dire". Significantly it is now over two years since the providers and stakeholders interviews. In the intervening periods councils have worked hard to reduce the frequency of use of bed and breakfast accommodation and to lower the duration of stay. In North Norfolk for example bed and breakfast is only used in an emergency and the accommodation is self contained. RC/ SP/ July

21 Teenage parents in North Norfolk were felt to be relatively disadvantaged because there has been more emphasis placed on support for 'single' people. There was also perceived to be deficits in support for young fathers. Breckland, Broadland and South Norfolk The first stage of the survey picked up few respondents from these districts. General observations were made about the lack of floating support for teenage parents in Breckland and South Norfolk. Broadland District Council identified shortages in housing related support in the rural parts of the district. The need was felt however to be predominately in the suburban fringes around Norfolk. Gaps in meeting specific needs The following list is a summary of the specific unmet needs mentioned by respondents: Single homeless pregnant young women Assessment facilities for teenagers and their babies where parenting skills appear marginal or where the lack of apparent lack of skills raises concerns about potential risks to the child Young parents with additional drug and alcohol problems Young parents with mental health problems Linked to last two there is a need for clarity and guidance on which agency should lead on supporting teenage parents with multiple needs. Housing support should be delivered as part of an integrated approach to the support of teenage parents with damaging patterns of substance misuse. Supporting People should lead on promoting this issue strategically with agencies responsible for providing services to people with substance misuse problems Support for young parents with substance misuse problems should be clearly linked to joint working with Social Services on child protection and contact issues Male teenage parents who could take up access to their children with suitable accommodation Teenage parents with older partners - some agencies appear reluctant to include an older partner when undertaking support work RC/ SP/ July

22 Young parents in their early 20's are not very well supported. Lack of maturity/life experience may mean they have similar needs to teenage parents (2 respondents) Housing support providers working with pregnant teenagers and young parents need more training in child protection issues More support for very young teenage parents aged 17 and younger Young women who are under 17 have real difficulties getting a tenancy as normally they lack a guarantor Greater promotion of positive models of housing based support needed within the context of the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy Models in which Sure Start are involved seem the most effective 7. Young parents research - study sample and focus groups Housing needs and circumstances We spoke to 34 young parents in four groups in Great Yarmouth, King's Lynn, Norwich and Thetford. There were 25 young mothers and 9 young fathers. 24 young mothers and 8 young fathers also agreed to be interviewed individually about their housing and support needs and pathways. All described their ethnic background as White British apart from one participant who was from White and Black Caribbean heritage. Their accommodation circumstances at the time of interview were: Young mothers Young fathers Living Living with own Temporary independently or partners accommodation family Table - Age when had first child Age Young mothers Young RC/ SP/ July

23 fathers One of the sample was pregnant, expecting her first baby. In this sample the young women who were still living at home with their parents were more likely to have had a male partner who was in his teens when they gave birth to their first child. By contrast only 2/19 of the young women living independently or in temporary accommodation had a first child who was fathered by a young man who was still in his teens. 17/19 of the fathers of children born to the women in that sample were in their early or mid twenties. Of the 17/19 women living independently in settled accommodation all bar one were in public tenure. One young mother had opted for the private rented sector because she could not cope with the temporary accommodation she was offered by the council while her eligibility for rehousing was being investigated. One woman was homeless and staying with friends despite being pregnant after her relationship broke down. The two young women still aged below 18 were both living at home. Fourteen of the young women were still living at home when they first became pregnant. Five were living independently. Three were living in temporary accommodation and one young woman was living in a children's home. Nine of the women had at least one subsequent child and eight of these women were living independently. All of the women had all or some of their children living with them. In contrast only one of the young fathers lived with their own children. A number of the young dads said that their relationships with their ex-partners and their former partners' families were poor. Some of the young men felt bitter towards former partners, their families and local organisations. The factors influencing whether a separated father was likely to have continuing contact with their child included the quality of their relationship with their ex partner, attitudes of ex partners family, their own accommodation circumstances, their lifestyle and behaviour, and whether there were legal constraints about parental contact. "Her attitude was 'I don't like the company you keep and no I won't let you see your child'. I used to get angry and then it made me really ill" RC/ SP/ July

24 . Out of the 17 women living independently in settled accommodation all bar one were in public tenure. Some had exchanged into larger or more preferable tenancies since being housed. A number of the women had spent periods in temporary accommodation prior to being rehoused. There were a variety of accommodation pathways. For some young women who became pregnant while still living in the parental home but could no longer remain because of overcrowding or the strain placed on relationships, the response of the local authority was seen as positive. This appears most likely to have been the case when. The rehousing process was relatively short with limited use of temporary accommodation and a timely offer of housing The young woman had a positive relationship with her mum and was proactively supported by her mum through the process of looking for accommodation The living situation in the parental home had not reached crisis point There was available local specialist temporary accommodation for pregnant young women, young parents or temporary accommodation for homeless families as opposed to bed and breakfast accommodation "When I fell pregnant I was living with my mum. She took me to the council, they put me in St James Lodge and then I got a flat". "I was put in a bed and breakfast. It was the most horrible place I've ever been. There were no cooking facilities. There were slugs on the floor. A curtain separated the bath area from the kitchen". "I was in a children's home but was kicked out due to pregnancy. They said it was an unsafe environment for me. I had lots of temporary accommodation before I got a housing offer". "The Council was about as much use as a chocolate teapot". RC/ SP/ July

25 Commonly women reported a lack of information about their accommodation and support options when they were pregnant. Where relationships remained sound young women were most likely to rely on their mothers or other family members for advice. Some women felt they had no choice other than to stay at the parental home because they were too young to hold a social tenancy and there were no other options. At least two women had been in care and their pathways into settled accommodation had been marked by high frequency of accommodation moves. "I didn't know who to talk to. I did not have a clue". "I spoke to my sister - she had been in the same boat as me". "My mum told me what to do". "I got told that all the hostels were awful". "I did not know that advice or support was available". Five of the women reported having some support when they first needed to be housed. In three cases this was provided through floating support, in one case through GFS Platform and in another case through the local authority housing section. For the most part there was felt to be insufficient access to support or information for young parents when they needed it. Some young women felt they had experienced very unhelpful responses from their local authorities. "The council were really unhelpful. I didn't get on with my parents, especially mum's husband. I told them about the domestic violence but they still would not help". "I went everywhere and no one would tell me anything". RC/ SP/ July

26 The extent to which the young parents felt they had a choice over housing options was variable. A minority of the young woman felt their needs had been listened too and accounted for by their local council or social landlord in making an offer of accommodation. Others felt obliged to accept accommodation that was unsuitable and hoped for a subsequent move through transfer or mutual exchange. One girl felt that she had been coerced into taking a particular offer through the local council. She was told that she could not view the flat because it was awaiting refurbishment but she would be penalised for not accepting. "I was offered a new build in the middle of town which was perfect for me". "It was live there or don't live anywhere. The way they look at it is that if you don't take the offer then you don't need it that bad. So they put you to the back of their list". "I was rehoused through the council in a first floor flat with noisy neighbours who regularly gather and smoke dope in the stairwells. My floating support worker has helped me request a transfer but I have to wait. They don't care as long as you have a roof over your head". A number of the young parents reported contact with Children's Services either because the young women were care leavers or because there were concerns for the well being of their child. The experience of Social Services involvement was mixed and rarely experienced as positive from the perspective of the fathers. One father reported that the couple's baby was removed by Social Services because the living conditions were cramped, damp and unsuitable. The social worker subsequently supported their application for housing and the child was returned. "Social Services were helpful to her and not to me. She got most of the help. We could have been offered somewhere together". RC/ SP/ July