Family Solicitors

Bristol City Council is to look at new ways of helping young people remain living with their families and resolve housing problems before they reach crisis point.

The Young People’s Housing and Independence Pathway Plan sets out proposals for changing the way the council and its partners work, so they are better equipped to help young people and their families.

Cabinet has also given the go ahead for the council to go out to select a partner for a new youth housing hub – an integrated service to be run jointly by an external partner with the council.

The hub will be the main point of contact for young people if they are at risk of homelessness, with dedicated staff working to prevent minors being taken into care or ending up on the streets.

The new pathway will focus on early information and intervention, with the aim of keeping young people with their families. Where this is not possible, staff will assess the best options for each individual and look to access and sustain suitable accommodation to prevent the risk of homelessness.

The council will also be working with Caring in Bristol to provide short-term emergency or respite placements in host’s homes for stays of up to 45 days. This will be an alternative to placements in larger homeless hostels.

Cabinet Member for People, Councillor Clare Campion-Smith, said:

“There is a serious shortage of affordable housing in Bristol – and it is particularly difficult for young people to access housing they can afford.

“In creating this new approach, officers listened to young people using services, to understand their experience and needs and find out what they want from services.

“The best place for most young people to live is at home with their families, as long as it is safe to do so – living on your own is not only very expensive, it can be difficult and lonely for young people.”

The aim of the new plan is to work more effectively across the council and with partners, to provide an integrated approach focused on making sure young people, their families and those who work with them have information and guidance to understand housing options – and plan when and how young people will leave the family home or leave care.

The plan will also pro-actively prevent housing crisis and support young people to live with their family if it is safe to do so, including when returning home from care – as well as ensuring processes, including assessment and allocation of housing, are clear to young people.

The plan will offer help to access the most appropriate service to meet their needs – and will provide a suitable range of value-for-money accommodation and support options to meet the varying needs of Bristol’s young people, as well as helping young people access and sustain settled accommodation – usually shared accommodation.

Duncan Lewis Family Solicitors

Duncan Lewis family solicitors can advise on a wide range of family and child care matters, including:

• Child abuse


• Child care arrangements


• Child maintenance


• Children taken into Local Authority care


• Civil Partnerships


• Court Orders


• Court of Protection


• Divorce


• Domestic violence & honour crimes


• Dowry disputes


• FGM


• Forced marriage


• International child abduction


• International marriage and divorce


• Islamic marriage and divorce


• Property disputes


• Separation agreements


• Spouse abandonment


• Wills and trusts.