9 out of 10 people want more money spent on affordable housing

9 out of 10 people in the North think the Government should spend more money on building homes for rent through a council or a housing association, according to new research.  6 out of 10 people in the North of England believe they have little or no chance of getting a social home with the same number not understanding how they are allocated. The National Housing Federation said the results showed there was a desperate need for a radical overhaul of the way social homes are allocated, with the organisation calling for the allocations system to be made fairer and more transparent.  The poll was commissioned by the Federation to highlight the recommendations in its housing election manifesto, that is now being published. It also revealed that 63% of people in the North, thought they had less chance of being allocated an affordable home than their parents did in previous decades.  The chronic shortage of affordable housing means homes are increasingly allocated to people in acute need, such as those classed as officially homeless, over other groups in desperate need of housing.  The poll findings were launched National Housing Federation chief executive David Orr in his address to the Federation annual conference, at the ICC, in Birmingham. He will say:- "The chronic shortage of social homes in this country has created an allocations system whereby only the most desperate and vulnerable have a realistic chance of getting a home.  This creates neighbourhoods where the most vulnerable and marginalised are housed together, resulting in areas of high economic inactivity, poverty and disadvantage.  Under our draft proposals, more mixed communities would be created, tenants would have a choice over where they live, and we would avoid the pitfall of pushing the most vulnerable people into the same areas."  Commenting on the North results, the Federation head of North, Derek Long added:- "There is an ever expanding gap between the supply and demand of affordable housing across the North of England. The public want the Government to spend more money on building homes for rent through a council or a housing association. We need high levels of flexible funding to continue. Social housing is part of the solution to the housing and economic crisis. Even as public spending tightens, the Government must remember this crucial fact."

The Federation will be consulting on the plans with its membership of 1200 housing associations over the coming weeks.  Under the proposals, outlined in the Federation's housing election manifesto:-

· Applicants would be categorised into specific groupings - such as those who are homeless, or priced out of the property market, or who need to move to an area to pursue employment, training or educational opportunities.

· Different proportions of lettings would be made to each category and decided by local authorities to reflect the needs of the local community.

· Each category would have to receive a minimum proportion of lettings.

The Populus survey also revealed the vast majority of people in the North (63%) did not understand how homes were allocated.  The poll found 37% of people in the North thought they had a very poor chance of getting a social home, while 20% rated their chances as poor. Only 9% thought they had a very good chance. 5% of those questioned based in the North thought they would never get an affordable home.

Liverpool recruits 31 more child social workers

LIVERPOOL is recruiting dozens more child social workers to support the city’s most vulnerable families.  The city council is spending an extra £1.7 million a year creating 31 new posts to protect the city’s most at-risk youngsters.

The jobs are for 24 social workers and deputy team leaders who will work with families and children, along with 7 team leaders and managers to supervise cases.  It will mean an increase of 20% in the number of social workers looking after the most vulnerable children.  The aim is to reduce the caseloads of staff, giving front line workers more time to provide support and assistance with the most challenging families.

Councillor Ron Gould, executive member for health, care and safeguarding, said:- “Social workers are special people who perform a very difficult job protecting the most vulnerable, and we recognise we need more of them.  This additional investment reflects the priority we are giving to keeping our young people safe, and helping struggling families.

We are determined to provide the best possible care for children, and these changes are only part of our plans. In the last 18 months we have opened a new children’s home and a short-break residential home for disabled children.”

In order to recruit and retain the very best people, an additional allowance of £1,700 per year will be paid to all new and existing staff in Safeguarding Support. This is the most challenging type of social work and includes youngsters on the child protection register, looked-after children and other families.

The city is also encouraging more people to consider social work as a career, and is taking part in two pilot schemes. They are the Newly Qualified Social Worker (NQSW) programme, and the Social Worker Development Partnership to support employers in providing high quality placements for trainee social workers.  The council is also working in partnership with the Children’s Workforce Development Council on its current “Be the Difference” recruitment campaign.

Sandra Campbell, Assistant Executive Director for Children, said:- "Social work can be a job full of challenges and difficult decisions, but it is also very rewarding and we want to give our staff the very best support. 

We are creating new smaller teams and providing additional managerial support for front line social workers to give them extra assistance when faced with vulnerable children and families.

We are committed to recruiting and retaining the very best staff, and that is why the salaries we are offering are extremely competitive.”

Under the new pay scales, front line staff will earn up to £38,538; team leaders up to £42,904 and managers up to £51,478.

There has already been a great response to the advertisements for the new posts in Liverpool, with more than 120 high-quality applications received.

Around 870 young people in Liverpool currently receive care from the city council.