Truancy

School truancies lead to rise in prosecution of parents

The number of parents taken to court in England because of children skipping school rose sharply last year, official figures show.

In 2014, 16,430 people were prosecuted for failing to ensure their children went to school, an increase of more than 3,000 - or 25% - on 2013.

Ministry of Justice figures, obtained by the Press Association, revealed more than three-quarters were found guilty.

Head teachers' leaders said good attendance was "absolutely critical".

Crackdown breakdown

The rise follows a crackdown on children missing school, including new rules onterm-time holidays, which were introduced two years ago.

The 2014 figures, gathered in a freedom of information request to the Ministry of Justice, show:

• 12,479 people found guilty of truancy offences - up 22%
• 9,214 fines, averaging £172, issued by courts - up 30%
• 18 jail sentences in 2014 - compared with seven in 2013
• Ten of those jailed and more than half (58%) of those fined for a child missing school were women

Parents can be issued with on-the-spot penalty notices of £60 per child by schools, rising to £120 if unpaid after three weeks, if their child has an unauthorised absence.

Failure to pay, or incurring two or more fines, can lead to parents being referred to the local authority's education welfare service, which has the power to take them to court.

Courts can issue maximum fines of £2,500 or jail sentences of up to three months.

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Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/education-33861985

Homelessness

A men Tell about his story

The difference between homelessness and houselessness

This morning, I feel inspired to share the main insight that ignites the Dream Catalyst mission. It is actually more of a question than an answer. The question is, “What is the difference between houselessness and homelessness?” I believe that there is a huge difference between the words ‘house’ and ‘home’. I believe that there are many housed people who are still homeless inside, and on the other side, I also believe that some people who remain houseless truly have a sense of home within.



I believe that if homelessness were truly about solving houselessness, we would have already solved it. Much like if hunger were just about food or calories, hunger, too would be history. Some organizations have evolved to understand that deficiency issues including homelessness, poverty, and hunger are about access to resources that are perceived to be scarce like food, funding and shelter. In Ithaca, where I live, there is less than a one percent vacancy rate in rental housing. How can we attempt to end homelessness with a housing inventory that is so scarce?



I believe that none of the answers exist on the scarcity side of the model. I choose to look for abundance based solutions. Instead of searching for new units of affordable housing, I choose to invest time and resources in helping people live into their dreams, even if they don’t yet know what they are. I believe that we were all born with at least one dream inside and it is our sole responsibility to find that dream, make it real, and then share it with the world. It could be that this is the only reason that we are here at this time. We were born to dream and ask questions with undying curiosity. Somewhere along the lines, some of our curiosity died and we started accepting answers to questions that truly had no answer. We started playing this game called life, and we accepted the rules that generations before us created, when the world was flat and there was a chance we could fall off this planet!



I am the first person to admit, that I have no answers. I hope to take my last breath on this planet in a space of curiosity. I also hope to add energy to a generation of youth who may again feel that they need permission to start asking questions that may not ever have an answer. My mission is help people connect with their inner curiosity and passion. This may be located somewhere near the dream still inside of us. Who knows?



Why am I talking about this in relationship to the difference between houselessness and homelessness? Because I think that some of the insight may be found in the questions we have the courage to ask. So, instead of asking questions like, “what does an affordable housing unit look like?”, I choose to ask “What does it mean to be home instead of just housed? Bill Strickland, is one of the most inspirational people in my life and he begins his speeches by declaring that “ALL children are born into the world as assets and not liabilities!” I believe that this is truth and this is how I choose to look at the Dream Catalyst mission.


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Source: http://dream-catalyst.org/the-difference-between-homelessness-and-houselessness/

Who is affected by homelessness

Homelessness affects a wide variety of people, but some people may be more vulnerable to homelessness because they have particular needs.


You may have limited housing rights or be less able to cope by yourself if you are:
a young person leaving home for the first time or leaving care
an offender leaving prison
pregnant, with nowhere to stay when the baby comes
responsible for bringing up children
claiming benefits or living on a low income
affected by housing benefit cuts
an asylum seeker, refugee or person from abroad


Source: http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/homelessness/homelessness_-_an_introduction/what_is_homelessness

Reasons why people are homeless

You could become homeless for many different reasons. 

These could include: 

being evicted because of rent arrears caused by money problems the breakdown of your relationship with your partner, parents or family  having to leave because of domestic violence or abuse 

illegal eviction or harassment by a landlord  a disaster such as a fire or flooding. 

Source: http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/homelessness/homelessness_-_an_introduction/what_is_homelessness

Help for homeless people

You may be able to get help from a local council if you are homeless or threatened with homelessness. Local councils have a legal duty to help some people, but not everyone gets help with housing. Some people can only get help with advice on finding a home.

Social services at a local council may help some people if the housing department of a council can't or won't help. This may happen if a council decides a family is intentionally homeless or a person is disabled or frail.

Some charities for the homeless may be able to help if you are single (or a couple without children) or a young person. Some provide temporary emergency accommodation such as nightshelters or hostels, or practical help in day centres.

A local church or charity may also be able to help with basics like food and clothing through day centres, soup kitchens and soup runs.



Source: http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/homelessness/homelessness_-_an_introduction/what_is_homelessness

What is homelessness?

You may be homeless if you live in unsuitable housing, don't have rights to stay where you are or you're sleeping rough. Find out about help if you're homeless.

Homeless even if you have a place to stay

Even if you have a roof over your head you can still be homeless, if you don't have any rights to stay where you live or your home is unsuitable due to severe overcrowding or other reasons.


You might be entitled to help as a homeless person if you are temporarily staying with friends or family or staying in a hostel or nightshelter.


Even if you have a home, you could be considered homeless if you live in very overcrowded conditions or in poor conditions that affect your health, or you're at risk of violence or abuse in your home.


You may also be considered to be homeless if you:
live somewhere where you have no legal right to stay, such as a squat
live in a home you can't afford to pay for without depriving yourself of basic essentials
are forced to live apart from your family or someone you would normally live with because your accommodation isn't suitable


Source: http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/homelessness/homelessness_-_an_introduction/what_is_homelessness