The Code of Guidance on Homelessness is a guide for practitioners who provide services to homeless people. The code sets out homelessness law and gives guidance on how this law should be applied by local authority and other relevant staff.

The code has not been comprehensively updated since 1997 and the new version will take into account changes made to homelessness law by the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 and the Homelessness etc. (Scotland) Act 2003. Shelter Scotland is a member of the steering group set up by the Scottish Executive to update the code. For Shelter, a new code will be the lynchpin to the major changes introduced to homelessness service provision since the Homelessness Task Force was set up in 1999. However, while taking account of new laws, the code must also work to influence best practice.

This briefing sets out some of Shelter's priorities for the update to the code.