Housing support for under 18s
Up to the age of 16, your parents or legal guardians are responsible for giving you a safe place to stay.
After you turn 16, your parents can give you notice to leave.
If you're thinking about leaving home, you should:
- consider your options
- talk to someone before making a decision.
If you're under 18 and made homeless, you should contact Medway Council urgently for support.
Your options are different if:
If you're homeless
If you're a young homeless person in Medway, you should contact us to be assessed.
Officers from our children's service and housing service will meet to carry out a Joint Housing Assessment (JHA).
You can choose which part of the council to approach first.
Our children's service has the main responsibility for housing and support, but you can also contact our housing department called housing options.
You'll receive the same level of help regardless of who you contact. They will need to:
- explain your choices
- assess your needs.
Approaching Medway children's service
If you approach our children's service saying you're homeless, they will:
- explore your needs
- speak with parents and family members
- contact the housing team to look at a Joint Housing Assessment
- look at emergency accommodation if needed.
Contact Medway children's services
Approaching housing options
If you approach housing options saying you're homeless, they will:
- complete an initial assessment
- determine if you're eligible for housing options.
This falls under Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996. If a young person is homeless or threatened with homelessness within 56 days, a prevention and relief duty is owed. This means a housing officer will work with you to resolve the issue.
Housing options will make immediate contact with our children's service to:
- make them aware
- enable them to safeguard you
- look at a Joint Housing Assessment
- make arrangements for emergency accommodation and support if needed.
Personal Housing Plan (PHP)
Anyone who is homeless or threatened with homelessness within 56 days is entitled to a PHP.
This plan will include steps that both you and the council will take to solve things. It will be your responsibility to follow the steps in your plan.
We'll work with you to create or amend your PHP to help you find more settled accommodation.
If you follow the steps, but do not find a place within 56 days, we will decide if we have a duty to offer you something.
Emergency accommodation
If you're homeless, we have a duty to find you emergency accommodation.
We may contact family members and friends to find a safe place for you to stay or we'll provide you with other emergency accommodation.
The accommodation should not be a bed and breakfast, but it will depend on what is available until your Joint Housing Assessment appointment.
If you're found intentionally homeless, you'll need to leave any emergency accommodation.
If you've been asked to leave
If you're not yet homeless but have been asked to leave your home, there is help available.
Up to the age of 16, your parents or legal guardians are responsible for giving you a safe place to stay.
After you turn 16, your parents can give you notice to leave.
You should contact children's services or housing options immediately. They will support you with the next steps through a Joint Housing Assessment.
If you're being threatened
If someone is threatening you or being violent towards you, you should get help straight away.
You'll need to phone either:
- the police: 999
- children's social care: 01634 333 466 or 01634 304 400 in an emergency.
If you do not want to speak to the council, call Childline on 0800 1111.