Children's Service
1.6 million children in Britain live in housing that is overcrowded, temporary, or run-down. Some live in housing that’s making them ill. Many are missing out on a decent education. Others suffer chronic insecurity, shuffled from place to place in temporary accommodation.
Shelter strongly believes that access to decent affordable housing must be at the heart of any strategy for improving the life chances of children and young people and reducing child poverty. Our Children’s Service gives children's sector professionals who are working with families and young people affected by housing problems direct access to Shelter's specialist advice and advocacy services.
Children's Service Advice Line
Free advice and information to help to ensure the relevance and accessibility of services provided to families by professional agencies.
Influencing local and regional policy
Regional Children's Co-ordinators work with local and regional partners to improve outcomes for children, families and under 18s who are living independently.
Good practice
Shelter has developed a model which demonstrates how local authority housing and children's services can improve joint working at governance, strategic, procedural and frontline delivery level.
Children's Legal Service
Shelter’s Children’s Legal Service takes on test cases and undertakes policy work to increase awareness of the interests of children in decisions of local authorities, housing associations and the courts.
Keys to the Future projects
Shelter's groundbreaking Keys to the Future projects have reached out to more than 10,000 children, young people and their families.
Advice and referrals
Information about how children's sector professionals can get advice on behalf of clients, or make a referral.
Children's Service publications
Download reports, good practice guides and interim independent evaluation reports from Shelter's Children's Service.
Glossary
This glossary explains some of the terminology that Children's Services staff may come across when supporting families with housing problems.
