Vulnerable children
Some young people aged 16 and 17 may present as homeless; CSFH has a duty to support families so that the young person can remain at home where appropriate or provide accommodation where assessment shows this is necessary to safeguard their welfare.
For details of the local authority duty towards homeless young people, please see the Prevention of homelessness and provision of accommodation for homeless 16 and 17 year olds policy.
The Homeless Young People's protocol sets out how social workers should approach working with this cohort, and the legal framework for assessing their needs and providing accommodation where the threshold is met.
Homeless young people aged 16 and 17 need to give their consent in order to be accommodated and become looked after. It is important that they are aware of their rights when making this decision and that they are able to access independent advocacy and advice. The Homeless young people information leaflet explains all this and social workers must make sure a copy is given to young people when they first approach Camden.