Meeting the best interests of children facing homelessness guidance event report

• The event was well attended with 23 participants from across the housing,
homelessness, health, advice, education and children’s sectors.

• The group raised a range of suggestions and questions related to how to improve the
guidance, which can be broadly grouped into the following themes (in no particular
order):

- Structure and layout of the guidance
- Children are a diverse group with differing needs
- Reinforce corporate responsibility and multi-agency approach
- Greater focus on prevention
- Role of parents in meeting children’s best interests
- Child protection
- Working together and taking responsibility
- Assessment
- Information sharing and confidentiality
- Taking children’s views into account
- Dealing with conflicts of interest
- Provision of accommodation.