New Independent Living Accommodation for Care Experienced Young People

A new dedicated living space to support care experienced young people into early adulthood could be coming to Dundee. 

Councillors will be asked to approve adapting the Hillcrest Homes flats at Reid Square to provide independent living support for young people from the ages 17 to 21 years. 

The flats will include a concierge service, a discrete social work team to prove immediate onsite support, housing options support and additional on-site support as required.  

The council will maintain oversight of young people supported in the flats, including appropriate referrals, matching, occupancy levels, additional support and liaison with wider services.  

Children, Families and Communities Depute Convener Roisin Smith said: “This is a really important step in supporting our young people as they move into early adulthood.  

“There is a huge need in the city to create a longer-term capacity to meet the different needs of teenage care experienced young people and care leavers and this goes a long way to offering and sustaining better support. 

“As a lot of our young people leave care and need some continued support, this will ensure that there is more choice for them and professionals and we have a greater ability to protect them from harm, including homelessness. 

“We set out our ambition to create the best care for our care experienced young people though Our Promise and creating this type of accommodation helps us deliver on that goal.” 

This scheme will run for an initial period of 24 months to support independent living and enhanced transition into adults for cohorts of young people. 

The Children, Families and Communities Committee will meet on 22nd January.