Agenda and minutes

Councillor Sandra Stockdale sent her apologies.

No interests were declared.

The minutes are to follow.

The minutes of the previous meeting were not available for approval.

The panel will continue to receive evidence in relation to this topic.

Jane Smith, Operations Director, representing All Saints Young Persons hostel asked the panel to note the following points:

·         The Society of St James, based in Hampshire provides substance misuse and mental health services, a care home for older people with an alcohol dependency as well as supported accommodation for 15 to 25 year olds, the All Saints Hostel.

·         There are currently 22 tenants in the hostel; most are between 15 and 17 years old.

·         The looked after children are funded separately.

·         There are clusters of four bedrooms with a shared kitchen, where the young people cook for themselves.

·         Many young people have experienced chaos in their family life or substance misuse.

·         Benefits are only paid if the young people are in employment, education or training.  It is often difficult for them to commit to something and to continue because of their background.  They might not have had any ambition instilled in them or had any boundaries set.

·         The dynamic of the group has an impact on how it functions.

·         The rent is set by First Wessex at £170 per week and is for the room only.  If the young person is working their Housing Benefit is reduced and they are liable for most or in some cases all of their rent.  It can be difficult for young people to see the value of working if their unemployed peers are doing nothing but having their rent paid.

·         24 hours support staff cover is funded by Supporting People.  The landlord provides day reception from 9am - 4pm and night cover for housing management issues from 10pm - 6am.     

·         A life skills education programme is provided, which includes advice on budgeting, nutrition and drugs.

In response to questions from the panel, she added the following points:

·         The young people are expected to stay for a maximum of six months and then move onto the Foyer or other supported lodgings, where they receive progressively less support, so at the end they are independent.  However, some people return two or three times.

·         Most young people grow out of their challenging behaviour.

·         The use of legal highs is a serious problem for our tenants.  It can make people seriously ill, cause long-term mental health issues and be a gateway for taking other drugs.   First Wessex works with the hostel staff regarding tenants' behaviour but as it does not ban the use of legal highs, often the cause of the unacceptable behaviour, which includes abuse and damage to property is not addressed.

·         There is no significant problem with alcohol abuse.

·         Many tenants have undiagnosed mental health issues.  Although these are often identified by hostel staff, it can be difficult for access to the appropriate services to be arranged in the six months that they live at the hostel.  It is even more difficult if there are other issues with substance misuse involved because there are very few dual diagnosis services.

·         One 17 year old was evicted from the family home and the hostel was asked to 'teach  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

The next meeting of the panel has been tentatively arranged for Friday 20 March at 9.30am in conference room B in the Civic Offices and members will continue to receive evidence from witnesses.

The next meeting will be held on 20 March.