Young people need more than a roof

Young people housed by local authorities are entitled to ‘more than a roof over their heads’, a ruling by the House of Lords established. The Law Lords judged that councils have a duty of care to assess the wider needs of 16- and 17-year-olds coming to them following family breakdown or because they are refugees. Their judgment clarified whether young people asking local authorities for accommodation should be dealt with by housing departments, or children’s services, as they finally ruled. Solicitors have called the judgment a ‘huge step forward for children’s rights and required councils to rethink services’.