Where you live
Supporting your housing journey
This page has information about:
- the BCP Council housing team and how each of them will help you
- your My Accommodation Pathway (MAP), a plan for where you live when you turn 18 years old
- the types of accommodation available
- financial help for setting up home and essential items you will need
- Council Tax - what it is and the discounts available for care experienced young people
- additional support available to you from charities like Citizens Advice and Shelter
The BCP Council housing team
Principal Housing Options Manager (PHOM)
What they do
The PHOM will:
- oversee the whole housing team
- check and sign off big financial decisions (like money for deposits)
Their role
Think of them as the senior person who makes sure everything is done properly.
Housing Options Team Manager (HOTM)
What they do
The HOTM will:
- lead the team and make sure everyone is doing their job well
- check and sign off your MAP (My Accommodation Pathway), rent deposit, and rent in advance forms
- manage referrals for YP and CEYP into SHAP accommodation
- run and attend meetings (like Accommodation Panel and SHAP Core Groups)
- work with other agencies and keep track of important information
Their role
Think of them as the team leader who makes sure things happen for you and that staff supporting you are doing a good job.
Housing Options Officer (HOO)
What they do
The HOO will:
- attend your Children in Care Review (CIC) around age 17 so they can meet you and understand how things are going
- work with you to create your MAP - your plan for housing when you turn 18
- listen to you, record your wishes, and help plan what accommodation and support you need
- make referrals to supported housing or other services if needed
- make homelessness decisions (Prevention, Relief, or Priority Need)
- have their decisions checked by a senior HOO before a letter is sent to you
Their role
Think of them as the person who plans your housing journey with you and makes decisions about your housing options.
Important letters
Always read letters from housing - they include deadlines if you want to challenge a decision.
Support and Inclusion Officer (SIO) - Resettlement
What they do
The resettlement SIO will:
- support you if you are homeless or in temporary accommodation
- guide you, working alongside your PA, to find private rented accommodation (if that’s right for you)
- help you work out what rent you can afford
- do an income and expenditure check with you
- help gather documents for rent deposit or rent in advance applications
Their role
Think of them as the person who guides and supports you when needing to move into accommodation.
Support and Inclusion Officer (SIO) - Prevention
What they do
The prevention SIO will:
- work with you and agencies to reduce the risk of you becoming homeless
- help you to manage to keep the accommodation you already have
- work with landlords and other agencies to sort out problems (like payment plans for rent)
- support you with anything needed to reduce the risk of homelessness
- ensure that you have a MAP in place as early planning for you turning 18
Their role
Think of them as the person who helps you stay in your home and avoid homelessness.
Other housing support teams
The CEYP team can also link you with Landlord Liaison (who work with local landlords).
Their role
Think of them as extra people who can help you find or keep your home.
My accommodation Pathway (MAP)
Your Housing Options Officer (HOO) will be invited to your CIC review closest to your 17th birthday. They will attend and introduce themselves.
During the meeting, they will:
- answer any questions you might have
- give you an idea of what it may look like when you turn 18 with housing
- listen and get to know more about you
The following steps are included in the creation of your plan.
Step 1 - Meeting to talk about your future
Around 2 weeks after your first meeting, you will meet again with the HOO. Your social worker and/or personal advisor will be there too.
Together, you will talk about what you need when you turn 18.
This could be:
- some extra support
- choosing to live on your own
- staying with your foster carer for a bit longer
This plan is about you and your situation.
You will have time to:
- say what you think is best for you
- ask any questions you have
Your social worker and PA can share extra information if needed before the next steps meeting, where your MAP will be made.
Step 2 - Writing and agreeing your plan
The MAP will be written up by the Housing Options Officer with everyone’s input, including yours and sent to the Housing Options team manager for sign off.
The MAP is then checked and signed by:
- the Housing Options team manager
- your social worker’s manager
- your PA's manager
If everyone agrees, this will be your plan for after you turn 18.
If someone does not agree, your housing plan will be discussed at a housing panel for care experienced young people.
This means more people will help make sure you get the right support and housing for you.
Step 3 - Getting ready to move
If your plan is private rented accommodation your PA will support you with this and refer you to housing if needed, to have an SIO for additional support to search, prior to you turning 18.
3 months before you turn 18, your Housing Options Officer will make referrals to the supported housing provision that is matched to what you need.
Your social worker and PA will be asked to provide some information to support this referral, this would be an updated risk assessment.
Types of accommodation
Children's social care will do their best to support you to return to the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area before you reach adulthood, where this is in your best interests.
If you prefer to live in another local area, children's social care will work to support you to secure suitable and safe accommodation.
We are not able to access accommodation for adults owned or managed by other councils, so if you do not meet the criteria to be housed by another council, you may need to consider privately rented housing.
There may be the opportunity to continue living with your foster carers beyond your 18th birthday, and up until you are 21. This will no longer be a foster placement, but a staying put arrangement.
If you are staying put with your carer, you will be expected to contribute to the costs of your room in the same way that you would if you were living in a shared house or your own accommodation. Your key worker will be able to advise you further about this, or you can ask for a copy of the staying put policy.
Supported lodgings carers offer young people (aged 16 to 24 years old) the opportunity to live within a home environment where you will become a member of the household. The carers are assessed, trained, and approved for the role by the council.
The aim of the carers is to:
- provide you with a supportive home environment
- help you develop confidence
- build support networks and your skills to live independently
Whilst living in supported lodgings you will:
- have your own bedroom and front door key with access to a kitchen, bathroom, sitting room
- be expected to contribute to the cost of your room, food, and utilities
- get support to claim benefits (if appropriate) and to help you budget your income to cover these payments
There is a range of accommodation and support services available for you if you are aged between 16 and 25. The accommodation is varied and offered by a range of providers.
It is their role to ensure that you are allocated a key worker and have an agreed support plan.
The support plan will be devised together and will include:
- realistic aims
- life skills training
- options for developing independence skills
- details on the role of your key worker along with their responsibilities
The service role is to prepare you to progress towards living in your own accommodation. When you live in semi-independent accommodation you will have your own lockable room but may have to share other facilities such as a kitchen and bathroom.
You may feel that you are ready to live independently. You will become a tenant and need to sign a tenancy agreement with the landlord and use your setting up home grant to furnish the property.
On moving in day, children's social care will make sure the right person is there to support you and everything goes smoothly.
They will also help you settle in and make sure all practical things are in place such as water, gas, and electricity.
Additional support can be obtained through a Tenancy Sustainment Officer (TSO) in housing if needed.
There are 2 levels of support for young people with SHAP.
Low support
This is if you are ready to live independently and just need a guiding hand to build on some independent skills and confidence until you are ready to move on to your own place.
There are 4 houses each with 3 bedrooms, where you will have your own room and share the kitchen, lounge and bathroom with 2 others who may be care experienced, and are young people.
The support is provided by Always There Carers, providing 4 hours of visiting support a week, they are foster carers or supported lodgings carers, who wanted to offer support to young people, in addition to those living with them. They are fully trained and skilled in their role and are manged by 2 workers, who are based in the Care Experience team.
High support
The Intensive Housing First model is where you are able to live independently and need more support to settle and stabilise yourself to be settled.
Young people high support SHAP have some self-contained flats in different areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. There are also flats within a couple of blocks in the area, where there is an office for the Centre Point staff to base themselves and meet with you, providing around 6 hrs of support a week. They have a psychologist in their team that can support too.
Both SHAP services have a set criteria and are for young people who are all eligible young people not just care experienced young people.
Careful matching takes place where you may be in one of the 3 bed houses, to make sure you will all get on well.
Setting up Home Grant (SUHG)
Your Setting Up Home Grant is an amount of money available to you to help you get the essentials you need to be comfortable when you move into your first long - term accommodation.
The amount of money you are entitled to will be:
- £2,000 if you were 18 years old on or before 1 April 2023
- £3,000 if your 18th birthday was after 1 April 2023
Your personal advisor will work with you to assess your needs to identify what essential furniture and services you will need and then arrange for how these items will be paid for.
You might not automatically receive the full amount of the allowance, for example, if the accommodation you move into is partially furnished.
If you are moving into semi-independent accommodation which is temporary and you need some items to furnish it, you may be able to access small amounts from the grant earlier. You can access up to £300 for necessary items, but this will come out of your total allowance.
You will only be able to buy items once out of this allowance and requests for the same item (for example cutlery), cannot be covered when you move from one accommodation to another, so it is your responsibility to make sure items are not left behind.
When you use your setting up home grant, there are a number of things you might want to consider.
We advise that you:
- do not spend to the maximum price of each item as you will be unable to buy all you need for your flat within your grant
- can only order items once you’ve moved into your accommodation, we know this might mean you’re without some items for a short time, which can be frustrating, however this helps avoid delivery problems, especially if there’s a last-minute delay to your move-in date
- check with your PA first if you want to purchase items yourself from places like charity shops, to ensure approval is given to provide reimbursement for the item, you will also need to provide receipts to your PA
- need to remember that if items are being ordered online, they will probably have a delivery charge which will also come from your setting up home grant, for example, a fridge may cost £250 but may have an additional £25 delivery fee
- shop smart, make the most of offers like Uni starter packs, January sales and Black Friday
- think before you buy as cheaper is not always better, we recommend things like cotton rather then nylon bed sheets
- choose items like duvets carefully as there are different tog ratings - otherwise you may get too hot in summer or be too cold in winter
- talk to your PA about any other life hack they might have to point you in the right direction
(With suggested maximum cost if appropriate)
Kitchen items
- washing machine: £300, £350 with installation and delivery
- fridge freezer: £300
- cooker: £300, £350 with installation
- microwave: £80
- kettle: £25
- toaster: £30
- pots and pans: £30
- cutlery: £25
- utensils: £15
- set of cups or mugs or glasses: £15
- knife block with kitchen knives: £25
- crockery: £25
- chopping board: £20
- dust bin: £15
- oven gloves and tea towels: £10
- hoover: £100
- clothes airer: £20
- sieve/colander
Bedroom
- bed: £250
- mattress: £250
- pillows set of 4: £30
- duvet: £30
- bed sheets: £15
- duvet covers: £20
- chest of drawers: £125
- wardrobe: £250
Lounge
- sofa: £350
- entertainment device (television or tablet not both): £250
- curtains or blinds (difficult to price due to differences in accommodation, to be agreed your personal adviser and their manager)
Bathroom
- bath mat: £10
- towels – bath sheet and hand towel £15
- toilet brush: £6
Other items you might also want to consider buying.
Kitchen
- cheese grater: £8
- slow cooker: £25
- hand blender: £15
- air fryer: £80
Cleaning equipment
- mop and bucket, broom / dustpan and brush set: £20
Bathroom
- shower curtain: £10
- toilet roll holder: £15
- laundry basket: £12
- bathroom cabinet: £45
- mirror: £25
Bedroom
- mattress protectors: £14
- coat hangers: £15
- bedside table: £30
- desk/dressing table: £125
- de-humidifier: £160
Lounge
- coffee table: £100
- TV cabinet: £100
- soft furnishings / cushions: £8 per item
- table and chairs: £200
General
- doorbell: £20
- TV license - first year
Item requests are made to your PA or to Duty.
They will need:
- the links to your requested items - copy the link of the website along with costs
- to know if you want your approved item(s) to be ordered for you and sent to your address, or receive a store voucher (where possible) so you can order the items yourself and choose to collect in store or opt for home delivery
- to be made aware if you will need support to plumb in appliances and/or build flat pack furniture, and delivery costs as this will also need to be factored into costings
Council Tax goes towards the cost of providing local services, including:
- emergency services
- rubbish collections
- libraries
We all have to contribute towards the costs of the services we use and need to keep us safe, unless we are exempt, due to being:
- under 18 years old
- on certain apprentice schemes
- 18 or 19 years old and in full-time education
- a full-time student at college or university
- under 25 years old and get funding from the Education and Skills Funding Agency
- a student nurse
- a foreign language assistant registered with the British Council
- severely mentally impaired
- a live-in carer for someone who is not your partner, spouse, or child under 18
- a diplomat
GOV.UK provides additional information about Council Tax discounts if you are a full-time student or severely mentally impaired.
As a care experienced young person you will be supported with your Council Tax where we are the corporate parent, and the young person is a resident in the:
- BCP Council area
- Dorset Council area
- New Forest District Council area
A discretionary discount will be granted, up to:
- 100% of the Council Tax for eligible care experienced young people aged 18 to 23
- 50% of the Council Tax liability for eligible care experienced young people aged 24
The discount ends on your 25th birthday.