Joint Assessments
This is all the legal info you need to know about being at risk of homelessness at 16 or 17.
Joint Assessment
Your advocate, trusted adult, social worker or housing person can help you to understand this. Please ask them if you aren’t sure.
What is it, and why do I need one?
Social Services and Housing Authorities are responsible to help you when you are 16 or 17 and are, or might become homeless.
A joint assessment gets everyone in a room that can help. They will find out what you need, to prevent you from becoming homeless. It should take a couple of hours and you need to be honest. It might be hard and the group will ask you why you are homeless and cannot go home. They will also ask about school or college; whether you are working; any help you might need with your health and what support you need if you cannot go home.
What if I don’t want to go?…
You have a right to refuse support from both Social Services and Housing, however, they cannot help if you don’t agree. Speak to your advocate, as this can affect what you are entitled to.
What will happen?
Whoever you speak to first will refer you to social services. Everyone involved will want to understand your wishes, how you feel and what you want to happen.
You may need to stay in emergency accommodation if the meeting cannot happen straight away, however, this is only temporary but will be safe. You should never be placed in a bed and breakfast- speak up if this happens.
The teams will talk to your family and anyone else that provides support to you and will arrange the Joint Assessment. There are a number of legal things that each organisation has to do because of your age, so this will be explained. If you are ever unsure of anything, ask!
The main thing is that nobody wants you to be at risk of harm. Speak up if you are worried.
What next?
There are a few ways that a joint assessment can turn out. Here are most options:
- You return home with some mediation. You may be housed by the local authority in which you will be expected to pay rent, services charges, bills and meet any of your living expenses through benefits or income.
- You go into an emergency bed with Social Services whilst they continue to do an assessment of you/ your families needs. This might mean you come into care, or return home later on, if it is safe to.
- You enter Social Services Supported Accommodation as a ‘Child in Need’ – it will be a shared house (like at Uni) and you will have a social worker (or assistant) to support you until you are 18.
- You are brought into care as as ‘Child in Care’ because you need more support. This could mean a foster home, residential care, independent living or with a family; whichever is right for you.
Speak to your advocate about how affects your rights if you refuse to go home, when it is safe to.
Who will help me?
This is a lot to take in and everyone knows that. Tell someone if you are feeling overwhelmed.
An advocate should have been offered in advance from YLF. If not, please get in touch here or call our freephone line on 0808 164 0096. We will tell you what is available to help you, and talk through your worries. This should help you in making a really important decision about your future.
I'm nearly 18...
If you are nearly 18, your options do reduce. Everyone wants to make sure you are safe, but at 18, you become an adult and your priority to be housed is affected by other things.
Work with everyone that has offered help to make sure that you do not become homeless. This may mean a return home whilst finding something more permanent such as a house share.
Are you under 18, homeless or a risk of being homeless and would like to speak to someone independent of Social Services for advice, you can contact the advocacy service on freephone:
0808 164 0096
Or email advocacy@ylf.org.uk