Universal schools-based early intervention

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The context

In the past decade in Scotland, homelessness applications from people aged 16-24 fell both in number and as a proportion of all applications. But young people remain very over-represented in the homelessness system. 2018 research for Welsh Government found international evidence supportive of youth-centred, school-based prevention as a means of reducing youth homelessness. That evidence included Australia’s Geelong Project, which successfully pioneered universal screening for homelessness risk in schools rather than relying on prior agency identification or pupil self-referral for support.

Upstream Cymru (a partnership of Cardiff University, the End Youth Homelessness Cymru coalition, led by youth homelessness charity Llamau, and software company, Do It Profiler) introduced the approach into Welsh schools in 2020. A pilot also began in North East Scotland College, Aberdeen, in late 2021.

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The intervention

Pupils in selected year groups in seven secondary schools within two Council areas in South Wales completed a short online screening survey. Questions were based on those developed by the Geelong project, but adapted for a Welsh context. They covered wellbeing, resilience, school engagement and housing risk (at family and individual level). They ask, for example, about family moves, conflict with parents or guardians, and staying away from home overnight.

Whilst some pupils and families are already in receipt of support, others whose responses are scored as being ‘at risk’ might not be. School staff and workers from Llamau reviewed survey responses, agreeing any proactive help the school could offer through pastoral care or other support, such as in-house counselling; of course, not all support is housing- or homelessness-focused.

But where housing risk is identified, Llamau offers pupils individual input from an ‘Emphasis’ worker, and/or family mediation. Emphasis workers offer intensive, tailored, strength-based support to young people at risk of disconnecting with mainstream services, including education. Family mediators work with young people and parents or carers to re-establish positive communication strategies and resolve conflict, offering a safe, non-judgemental space for each party to listen and be heard.

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The outcome

Pupils in seven schools completed 833 surveys in the pilot’s first year; few pupils opted not to participate. Summary analysis by University of Cardiff identified 10% at high or immediate risk of homelessness, with a further 10% at medium risk. 7% said they had no trusted adult they could confide in, whilst 18% reported experiences of bullying at least once or twice a month, with 7% saying this was almost daily. Of most consequence for the pilot, 88% of pupils at immediate and 65% at high homelessness risk demonstrated no signs of educational disengagement, or other school-based difficulties.

Based on screening led, targeted support was offered to pupils facing significant barriers, of which the school was previously unaware. 83 pupils and families took part in mediation (85% uptake rate). 30 pupils engaged in Emphasis support. Of those, 77% improved their attendance at school and felt more optimistic about the future [note: Llamau highlights these figures are lower due to the pandemic]

Whilst too early to report long-term impact in Wales, longitudinal evidence from three Geelong schools using universal screening and support over three years found youth homelessness reduced by 40% and early school leaving by 20%, substantially reversing the schools’ previous over-representation in those statistics.

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Key insights

• universal screening can remove stigma from engagement, whilst also identifying young people who otherwise show no indication of risk (of homelessness or other issues)
• whilst professionals in any public service, including an educational setting, are aware of many of those at high risk of harm, we don’t ‘always already know’ everyone in those groups
• universal screening can identify other issues as well as housing risk which schools can act on, for example, revealing the heretofore unknown extent of regular bullying that many pupils face

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Find out more…

Johanna Robinson, Operations Director, Llamau
johannarobinson@llamau.org.uk