Homeless Children in the United Kingdom

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that there is a large prevalence of emotional, behavioral and health problems among homeless children. Homeless adolescents and street youth have a high incidence of depression, attempted suicide, drug abuse and HIV/AIDs. The author points out that the philosophy of the Children Act did not suit the practice and procedures for inclusion under the F.G.C. (family group conferences) because FGCs tended more to conflict decision-making processes than to complement or enhance them. The paper relates that, in the U.K., inability to access health and social care services for homeless children and their families is a problem because of their frequent change of address between different health and local sectors and their failure to register with a general practitioner unlike families staying at permanent addresses.

From the Paper:

"Child care services in the UK evolved from the concept on the rights of children and the responsibility of their families and the state in the rearing of children. The Children Act of 1989 aimed at "constructing a new consensus" on children's rights and their families' and the state's responsibilities and at balancing these rights through greater inclusiveness and collaboration with families. The Act was an attempt at influencing not only the appropriate line and kind of thinking about families and also child care practices as a consequence. But, in time, partnership approaches appeared lacking under the Act, so that in 1990, family rights groups in the UK invited a group of New Zealand practitioners from whom UK patterned its own family group conferences or FGCs to fill in the gap left by the Act in the area of implementation of its principles. A national pilot group was established two years later to connect pilot projects and enable them to share advice and support from one another through policy materials and practice ideas at a high level of cooperation."

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