Islington Council faces a significant housing shortfall for care leavers, with approximately 120 young people currently on the waiting list for accommodation. The average waiting time for these young people is around 12 months, during which they receive support with interim measures and work to build independence.
During a Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee meeting on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, Councillor Sheila Chapman, Executive Member for Children, Young People & Families, presented an update on the council's lifelong corporate parenting strategy. This strategy is designed to ensure care-experienced individuals receive continuous support, with a particular focus on housing.
Care-experienced young people are prioritised for housing through a system of allocating priority points, which helps them move up the waiting list. The council has also adopted the principle that all care-experienced young people are presumed to be in 'priority need' under homelessness legislation until the age of 25, and that no care-experienced young person should be presumed to be intentionally homeless before that age.
The council has prioritised care-experienced young people for housing, allocating 50 one-bedroom and 6 two-bedroom properties annually for care-experienced parents. For the upcoming financial year (2026/27), they have been offered 50 properties (20 for The House Project and 30 for direct offer), plus six 2-bed properties for care-experienced young parents, totalling 56 properties. However, demand continues to outstrip supply, with the report stating, but there is a shortfall in the number allocated as we have approximately 120 young people on the waiting list to move into their own property who are currently living in a mixture of temporary accommodation, semi-independent or living with friend's families.
While on the waiting list, care leavers receive support through various mechanisms. The council allocates buyback properties that we allocate to the next steps programmes that are sort of like an interim measure where people are really supported through independence in those houses until they get their secure tenancy.
The report adds, So, people are waiting but they're waiting well with the support, with the sort of, you know, work to build independence.
Schemes such as The House Project
and Next Steps
have reported a 100% success rate for tenancies granted to care-experienced individuals. Beyond securing a tenancy, these programmes aim to help young people develop skills for independent living, including understanding finances, benefits, job impacts, repairs, and neighbourly interactions. The report states, So making sure that when someone gets their secure tenancy, they don't end up losing that secure tenancy. So making sure that they're stable, that they know how to, you know, whether that be the basics around how do you open your bank accounts? How do you deal with your benefits? How does getting a job impact your benefits? How do you manage your repairs? How do you interact with your neighbours? All of these things, there's really intensive sort of holistic support around that.
The lifelong corporate parenting strategy extends beyond housing to encompass a range of support. This includes mental health support, with proposed 'Champions' within mental health services to improve coordination and outcomes. Employment initiatives include the 'Family Business Model' offering ring-fenced apprenticeships, internships, and work experience, and a new Construction Pathway Programme. To foster a sense of belonging and well-being, programs like 'Lifelong Links' help young people reconnect with supportive adults, and a community hub ('The Hideout') provides a physical space for connection and support. For those over 25, a new offer includes peer support, time-limited assistance from the 'Independent Futures' service, and bespoke housing support. The PAUSE Programme offers intensive support to women who have experienced multiple child removals, with plans to extend this to care-experienced young women at risk of having children removed. Integrated and trauma-informed support from a dedicated health team, including a specialist nurse for care-experienced young people, aims to improve health outcomes. Additionally, the 'Fostering Friendly Employer' initiative offers additional paid leave to employees who are foster or kinship carers.
More information can be found in the Public reports pack from the meeting.
