Nobody ever thought placing vulnerable, homeless 16/17 year olds in so-called B&B accommodation was a good idea. But faced with no alternative, for many years this is just what happened. Youngsters barely having finished their GCSEs were being placed in shared accommodation with adult users of such accommodation, many of whom had enough problems of their own.
Short Time Out Projects were inspired by Sutton Council. They wanted alternatives to B&B that didn’t exist, so they had to invent one. They spoke to CAYSH because of our expertise in working with young people, and in April 2011 our first STOP was opened near Sutton Town Centre.
The primary aim of STOP is to help create a changed set of circumstances for a young person so that they feel they can return to their family. The model is straightforward: a STOP is a place of work as well as assessment, with a programme of family mediation, family group meetings and negotiations. There is a maximum stay target of 12 weeks, with either return home or move-on the two possibilities.
In instances where young people cannot return to family, CAYSH works with them to assess their readiness for independence and based on this assessment we will make recommendations back to local authority about move-on options. Consequently some young people may leave a STOP to live in a room in a shared house with others, other young people might take up Lodgings in a family home. The options are not universal - they change in each London Borough - but CAYSH's aim is that most, if not all, young people will return to a stable home with family.
