Tens of thousands of children in Scotland live in overcrowded, temporary, run-down or dangerous housing.  This has a devastating impact on children's lives – denying them rights to a safe and secure home with access to education, opportunities for play, high standard of living and good health.

Homelessness leads to chronic insecurity, poor health, families at breaking point, and forces children to grow up on the edge of society: anxious, depressed and often out of school.

Practical help for homeless children

For more than 40 years, Shelter has campaigned for a decent home for all. Now we are tackling the shocking scale of this hidden problem with Keys to the Future - our blueprint to end child homelessness.

We will get direct, practical help to vulnerable children, our legal team will fight for fairer laws and we will provide solutions to the Government to bring about lasting change. Our projects across the UK will provide direct support to Britain's most vulnerable homeless children.

You can download our leaflet about the Children's Service in Scotland here. 

About our projects in Scotland

We have four Education Liaison Workers, based in existing Families Projects Glasgow, South Lanarkshire and Dumfries & Galloway, who help children learn and achieve.

Education Liaison Workers, with the help of volunteers can:

• help children get the transport they need to attend school, if they have moved from their local area
• help children with homework, study skills and build self-esteem
• advocate on behalf of children to ensure they receive appropriate support from their school
• liaise with parents, schools, housing and social work, to ensure a holistic and co-ordinated approach is taken to support children.
  

Download our leaflet about education support for children in Scotland.

Campaigning for lasting change

We want to make decent housing central to children's welfare. We are working hard to lobby for policies that will protect children from homelessness and bad housing, and reduce its devastating impacts. We will use evidence from our projects and others to provide the government and local authorities with evidence of the policies and practice that can change children's lives.

Get in touch

If you would like to tell us about good work to support homeless children in your area, or find out more about improving the lives of homeless children, then contact Jessie Crawford, our Children's Service Policy & Practice Coordinator on childrenscotland@shelter.org.uk or telephone 0344 515 2444.