Government adopts House Project approach in expanded Staying Close programme

The Government is to incorporate the National House Project’s approach into its revised Staying Close programme as part of a £25 million investment to expand connected housing options for care leavers.

The National House Project (NHP), which has spent almost a decade developing its model with care-experienced young people and local authorities, currently works with 22 local authorities across England and Scotland.

Its House Project community includes around 1,180 young people aged 17 to 28, with 780 having moved into their first home through the programme. NHP said none of these young people had experienced an eviction or tenancy breakdown.

The Government has specifically identified the House Project alongside other innovative approaches as part of the national expansion of Staying Close, which has been strengthened to place greater emphasis on housing, relationships and emotional wellbeing.

The announcement follows the publication of an independent review into the early deaths of young people who have left care, which highlighted profound isolation experienced by some care leavers and identified the need to improve preparation for adulthood, address the reduction in support after leaving care and strengthen the workforce supporting young people through the transition.

The House Project approach is based on the principle that leaving care should be a transition into adulthood rather than simply a transition out of the care system. Young people are supported to prepare for and move into their own homes while developing practical skills, confidence, relationships and community connections.

Mark Warr, Chief Executive of the National House Project, said: “For young people leaving care, having a home is vital — but a home on its own is not enough. Young people need people around them who know them, relationships that matter and the skills, confidence and support to build a fulfilling adult life.

“For more than a decade, the National House Project has worked alongside young people and local authorities to develop an approach that brings these things together. The Government’s recognition of the model within the national expansion of Staying Close is an important step towards making that opportunity available to many more young people.”

The first Local House Project was co-designed with young people in Stoke-on-Trent in 2015 through the Department for Education’s Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme. The model has since been developed and expanded alongside care-experienced young people and local authorities.

NHP is currently in discussions with a further 13 local authorities about developing Local House Projects.

The charity said the model aims to bring together housing, relationships, community, skills, support and planning for the future, rather than treating securing accommodation as the end point of the leaving-care process.

Ashley John-Baptiste, co-author of the independent review into care leaver deaths, and Josh MacAlister, Minister for Children and Families, recently visited the Islington Local House Project. They met young people and saw how the approach supports them to develop relationships, build independence and move into their own homes.

Warr said the Government’s decision created an opportunity to expand the approach, but added that maintaining its core principles would be important as it grows.

“The challenge now is to turn that recognition into national scale, while keeping young people’s voices and relationships at the heart of how the approach is delivered.”

The House Project has been subject to a series of independent evaluations and research since its development, including work by the University of York, STAF, the University of Cambridge, Royal Holloway, University of London, the University of Warwick, the University of Bedfordshire and Birmingham University.

Care-experienced young people have also contributed to peer evaluation through the Care Leavers National Movement, which was established to ensure their experiences continue to shape the development and evaluation of Local House Projects.

NHP said co-production remained central to its approach, with young people involved in designing the support intended to help them move into adulthood.

The Government’s strengthened Staying Close programme is intended to respond to concerns raised by the review into care leaver deaths by providing young people with their own home alongside the relationships, community and support needed to avoid isolation after leaving care.