Sign up for our programme on housing rights for care leavers

Why we have decided to focus on this issue

Since 2018-19, there has been a 33% rise in the number of care leaver households aged 18-20 assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness.
More than 4,000 young care leavers in England were facing homelessness by April 2024 - a jump of 54% in five years.
The increase in the figure, which covers 18, 19 and 20-year-olds, is 15 times greater than the rise in homelessness among all young people in England

About the programme

The programme aims to give participants the basic knowledge and skills needed to deal with key housing issues.

You do not need to know anything about housing law to apply as this introductory programme is aimed at people with no formal legal training. The programme will be delivered in English and accessibility needs can be submitted in the registration form.

We are particularly keen to invite participants who are community volunteers, members of a support group, a grassroots mutual aid organisation, or something similar.

The structure of the programme

The programme will begin with an introductory workshop on housing options for care leavers. This workshop will outline the local authority duties towards care experienced young people, the main housing options they might consider, and the evidence you might need to support them. This workshop will take place on Monday 3rd March, 11am - 1pm.

This introductory workshop will be followed by two short courses, one which will address rights in the private rented sector and one which will cover homelessness and temporary accommodation. For the short courses, participants are required to watch a 30 minute video before each interactive session.

The first short course will take place at the end of March and will cover the ways in which the local authority might be involved in securing housing for care leavers. This course will include the following modules:

Tenancies and other housing arrangements (2hr) - Wednesday 19th March
Dealing with homelessness applications (2hr) - Thursday 20th March
Living in temporary accommodation (2hr) - Wednesday 26th March
Applying for social housing (2hr) - Thursday 27th March

This will be followed by a second short course in mid-April. This short course will focus on the private rented sector and will include the following modules:

Dealing with poor housing conditions (2hr) - Wednesday 9th April
Benefits and housing (2hr) - Thursday 10th April
How to deal with a Section 21 eviction notice (2hr) - Wednesday 16th April

The whole programme is free to attend, and you can sign up for one or both of the short courses. However, spaces are limited. We will prioritise participants from community/grassroot organisations who have not already attended one of our housing courses, particularly those who encounter care experienced young people in their work. Due to limited capacity, we will accept a maximum of two participants per organisation.

You can sign up for the introductory workshop and register your interest for the other two courses below.

Key course information

Introduction to housing options for care leavers workshop Monday 3rd March, 11am-1pm
Homelessness and temporary accommodation training course 19-20, 26-27th March
Housing rights in the private rented sector 9-10, 16-17th April

Registration

We request that each individual who would like to attend registers separately as this is important for our evaluation processes, and to keep track of numbers.

Registration will close at midnight on Sunday 23rd February. We will let you know by Monday 24th February if you have secured a place.

Sign up here

If you have any queries about the course, please contact Rowan -rowan.milligan@advicenow.org.uk.

Upcoming workshops - section 21 evictions

We will also be running a number of stand-alone workshops on how to deal with Section 21 evictions, as we anticipate there may be an increase in the use of this legislation prior to the Renters Rights bill coming into effect.

If you would like us to let you know once we have the dates for these sessions confirmed, please fill out this registration form.

Was this information useful?

Yes No

Help us make it better by telling us why not

Can you please tell us what you found useful?

Your feedback helps us show the impact of what we do, and helps other people know what was useful.

By submitting this form, you agree that we may use your feedback to improve our services, or as a review to help other people. We will process your information in accordance with our privacy policy. Your personal data will not be shared or used for any other purpose.