[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-1-en-105":3,"doc-seo-281470-105":53,"doc-detail-281470-en":127},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,14,19,24,29,34,39,44,49],{"id":8,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":11,"show_sort_weight":12,"slug":13},11,1,"Template","Presentations",90,"presentations",{"id":15,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":16,"show_sort_weight":17,"slug":18},12,"Resumes",80,"resumes",{"id":20,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":21,"show_sort_weight":22,"slug":23},14,"Invoices",70,"invoices",{"id":25,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":26,"show_sort_weight":27,"slug":28},15,"Posters",60,"posters",{"id":30,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":31,"show_sort_weight":32,"slug":33},16,"Social Media",50,"social-media",{"id":35,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":36,"show_sort_weight":37,"slug":38},17,"Forms",40,"forms",{"id":40,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":41,"show_sort_weight":42,"slug":43},18,"Letters",30,"letters",{"id":45,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":46,"show_sort_weight":47,"slug":48},21,"Paper Templates",5,"papers-templates",{"id":50,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":51,"show_sort_weight":4,"slug":52},158,"General","general-158",{"code":4,"msg":54,"data":55},"ok",{"site_id":56,"language":57,"slug":58,"title":59,"keywords":60,"description":61,"schema_data":62,"social_meta":120,"head_meta":122,"extra_data":124,"updated_unix":126},105,"en","letter-to-local-authority-chief-executives-on-intentional-homelessness-for-care-leavers-three-step-approach","Letter to Local Authority Chief Executives on Intentional Homelessness for Care Leavers - Three-Step Approach","","Letter from the Secretaries of State for Education and for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to Local Authority Chief Executives in England, outlining a three-step approach to reduce the number of care leavers found intentionally homeless. It explains strengthened expectations for joint housing protocols between children’s and housing services, clarifies that intentionally homeless decisions for care leavers should be exceptional with due regard to vulnerability and needs, and sets expectations for senior-leader governance and sign-off. It also commits to updated guidance and implementation support.",{"@graph":63,"@context":119},[64,80,102],{"@type":65,"itemListElement":66},"BreadcrumbList",[67,71,74,77],{"item":68,"name":69,"@type":70,"position":9},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":72,"name":10,"@type":70,"position":73},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/",2,{"item":75,"name":41,"@type":70,"position":76},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/letters/",3,{"item":78,"name":59,"@type":70,"position":79},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/letter-to-local-authority-chief-executives-on-intentional-homelessness-for-care-leavers-three-step-approach/281470/",4,{"url":78,"name":59,"@type":81,"image":82,"author":87,"headline":59,"publisher":90,"fileFormat":93,"inLanguage":57,"description":61,"dateModified":94,"datePublished":95,"encodingFormat":93,"isAccessibleForFree":96,"interactionStatistic":97},"DigitalDocument",{"url":83,"@type":84,"width":85,"height":86},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/letter-to-local-authority-chief-executives-on-intentional-homelessness-for-care-leavers-three-step-approach/281470.png","ImageObject",442,249,{"name":88,"@type":89},"Xiajie","Person",{"url":68,"name":91,"@type":92},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-19","2026-09-16",true,{"@type":98,"interactionType":99,"userInteractionCount":101},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":100},"ViewAction",6,{"@type":103,"mainEntity":104},"FAQPage",[105,111,115],{"name":106,"@type":107,"acceptedAnswer":108},"What is the government’s three-step approach to reduce intentional homelessness among care leavers?","Question",{"text":109,"@type":110},"It focuses on (1) preventing homelessness through updated expectations for joint housing protocols, (2) ensuring intentional homelessness decisions for care leavers are exceptional and based on meeting needs, and (3) strengthening governance via senior-leader sign-off and review of circumstances and support steps.","Answer",{"name":112,"@type":107,"acceptedAnswer":113},"What changes are expected regarding joint housing protocols?",{"text":114,"@type":110},"Local authorities are expected to develop joint housing protocols that codify joint working between children’s and housing services, set out corporate parent commitments, and support commissioning of suitable accommodation and help to reduce homelessness risk.",{"name":116,"@type":107,"acceptedAnswer":117},"How should local authorities handle intentional homelessness decisions for care leavers under 25?",{"text":118,"@type":110},"Local authorities should avoid the impact of intentionally homeless decisions wherever possible. When considering intentionality, they should be satisfied that support and accommodation met the care leaver’s needs, with due regard to vulnerability and lack of parental support, and intentional decisions should be exceptional.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":78,"og:type":121,"og:title":59,"og:site_name":91,"og:description":61},"article",{"robots":123,"canonical":78},"index,follow",{"doc_id":125,"site_id":56},281470,1790138663,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":128},{"doc_id":125,"user_id":129,"nickname":88,"user_avatar":130,"doc_module":9,"category_id":40,"category_name":41,"doc_title":59,"doc_description":61,"doc_content":131,"file_id":132,"file_url":133,"file_type":134,"file_size":135,"view_count":101,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":9,"is_downloadable":9,"audit_status":9,"page_count":76,"language":136,"language_code":57,"site_id":56,"html_lang":57,"table_of_contents":137,"faqs":138,"seo_title":139,"seo_description":61,"update_tm":140,"read_time":9},8814010472675,"https://avatar.qwps.com/avatar/WGlhamll","To Local Authority Chief Executives in England  \nRt Hon Michael Gove MP  \nSecretary of State for Levelling up, Housing & Communities  \nMinister for Intergovernmental Relations 2 Marsham Street  \nLondon SW1P 4DF  \nRt Hon Gillian Keegan MP  \nSecretary of State for Education  \n20 Great Smith Street London  \nSW1P 3BT  \nOur reference:  \n3 May 2024  \nAs Secretaries of State in the Department for Education and the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities, we have seen the commendable work carried out by your teams in supporting those in care and care leavers. We have also listened to powerful representations made by the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care, people working with care experienced young people and, most importantly, care leavers themselves telling us of the need for us to do more.  \nThis government has set out a bold reform agenda in its response to the Care Review, Stable Homes, Built on Love, including our mission to see an increase in the number of care leavers in safe, suitable accommodation and a reduction in homelessness for care experienced young people. This includes a commitment to strengthen statutory guidance and set out procedural expectations on intentional homelessness, to remove its use for care leavers under 25, and legislate if necessary.  \nThe Homelessness Code of Guidance already provides guidance on how local housing authorities should exercise their functions relating to care leavers who are already homeless or are threatened with homelessness, and how to apply the statutory duties in practice. In recent months, our departments have worked with local authorities to meet the commitment set out in the Care Review through updating statutory and non-statutory guidance.  \nWe are writing to you today to inform you of our three-step approach to reducing the number of care leavers found intentionally homeless.  \nPreventing care leaver homelessness  \nDLUHC has updated the Homelessness Code of Guidance to strengthen our expectation that all local authorities should develop a joint housing protocol.  \nJoint housing protocols codify the practice of joint working between children’s and housing services that is essential to support care leaver transitions to independent living and accommodation. Housing authorities, children’s services authorities and other relevant departments within local authorities should have joint housing protocols and procedures in place so that each department can play a full role in providing integrated support to young people leaving care. This should help children’s services and housing authorities deliver the local accommodation offer to care leaversand play a key role in preventing care leaver homelessness.  \nIt should set out the commitments as corporate parents, and how these will be delivered in practice. It should include commissioning of suitable accommodation and support for care leavers to reduce the risk of homelessness. Our updated Good practice guidance can support local authorities with the development of joint housing protocols.  \nWe expect that intentional homelessness decisions for care leavers are exceptional  \nWe expect that local authorities should avoid the impact of intentionally homeless decisions wherever possible. The Homelessness Code of Guidance has been updated to clarify that, when a housing authority is considering whether a care leaver has become homeless intentionally, they should be satisfied that the support and accommodation provided has met the care leaver’s needs.  \nWhile we recognise that in rare situations, a decision of intentionality may be necessary where all other avenues have been exhausted, LAs must have regard to care leavers’ vulnerability and the lack of parental support and stability that would ordinarily be provided to young people, when considering accountability. Intentional homeless decisions in respect of care leavers should therefore be exceptional.  \nIncreasing governance around intentional homelessness decisions ","cbCaicebGo9QXqL7","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaicebGo9QXqL7","pdf",213690,"English","# Three-step approach to reducing intentional homelessness for care leavers\n## Preventing care leaver homelessness\n## Intentional homelessness decisions should be exceptional\n## Increasing governance around intentional homelessness decisions","[{\"question\":\"What is the government’s three-step approach to reduce intentional homelessness among care leavers?\",\"answer\":\"It focuses on (1) preventing homelessness through updated expectations for joint housing protocols, (2) ensuring intentional homelessness decisions for care leavers are exceptional and based on meeting needs, and (3) strengthening governance via senior-leader sign-off and review of circumstances and support steps.\"},{\"question\":\"What changes are expected regarding joint housing protocols?\",\"answer\":\"Local authorities are expected to develop joint housing protocols that codify joint working between children’s and housing services, set out corporate parent commitments, and support commissioning of suitable accommodation and help to reduce homelessness risk.\"},{\"question\":\"How should local authorities handle intentional homelessness decisions for care leavers under 25?\",\"answer\":\"Local authorities should avoid the impact of intentionally homeless decisions wherever possible. When considering intentionality, they should be satisfied that support and accommodation met the care leaver’s needs, with due regard to vulnerability and lack of parental support, and intentional decisions should be exceptional.\"}]","Letter to Local Authority Chief Executives on Intentional Homelessness for Care Leavers - Three-Step Approach | PDF",1789566339]