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B&B

Housing &homelessness

campaign pack

See it,Say it,Change it.

Introduction by the Steering Group Did you know thousands of children in England are growing up without a home? In places that are dirty, crowded and unsafe for children.

We need your help to stop this.

Change it! is a campaign led by children and young people who are passionate about making life better for all children and young people. Our group has 26 members, eight to 20 years-old and we come from all over England. Many of us have experienced not having our rights met, we have grown up in care, faced discrimination or experienced homelessness. We all want to make a change and believe children and young people need to be listened to!

Many of us have lived in temporary housing like Bed and Breakfasts (B&Bs), sometimes for months on end. Living in dirty, over crowded places with no space to play or do homework affects children’s lives - you might be bullied at school, experience mental health problems or physical illness. We know how important a real home is for a child.

We first came together in 2015 when, with support from the Children’s Rights Alliance for England, we researched and wrote the See it, Say it, Change it report, a report all about children’s rights in England. We spoke to nearly a thousand children in our research! We sent the report to the UN Committee on the Rights of Child (the UN Committee) who were checking how well the UK respected children’s rights. After reading the report the UN Committee told the UK Government that they needed to make some changes to make sure they were respecting children’s rights. An urgent issue picked out by the UN was the need to stop housing children in temporary houses, like B&Bs, for long periods of time.

We want to make sure the Government listens to the UN Committee. Children have a right to grow up in a warm house where they feel safe, somewhere with enough room to play, study and spend time with family. We want to see changes made so that all children have a place to live where they can grow up safe and healthy, in a real home.

Become a young activist and work with us to make sure this happens. Together we can #ChangeIt!

Anmol aged 20Cameron aged 11Emily aged 12Emma aged 13Hamza aged 17Hassan aged 15Jade aged 13Jamie-Lea aged 15Kiki aged 15Laila aged 11Leah aged 12Liam aged 15Mark aged 17

Merhawi aged 17Renee aged 18Rozita aged 18Reko aged 17Siham aged 9Shailan aged 11Shakira aged 14Sivitha aged 14Tania aged 16Tiairah aged 11Tufa aged 10Will aged 9Zakya aged 16

Become a Young Activist Join the Change it! campaign and become a young activist. An activist is someone who takes action and campaigns for change. Activists fight for what they believe in.

Why become a young activist?Becoming a young activist is an amazing opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of children and young people. You will learn new skills, gain knowledge about how government works and have a chance to have your voice heard by people in power. By working with CRAE you will join one of the largest children’s rights coalitions in the world.

Who are the Children's Rights Alliance for England?The Children’s Rights Alliance for England (CRAE) fight for the rights of children and young people. We work to make sure that children in England are getting all of the rights in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (the CRC).

CRAE was set up in 1991 when the Government promised to respect the CRC. We have over 150 members including Save the Children, Barnardo’s, Unicef UK, the National Children’s Bureau and NSPCC. Working together with these organisations helps to make us a powerful voice when we ask for change.

The most important group of people we work with is children and young people - we believe that only when decision makers listen to children’s voices and views can we really make things better. CRAE was one of the first organisations in the world to submit a report from children and young people themselves directly to the UN Committee. CRAE supports children and young people to tell their side of the story, to campaign and to have their voices heard by people in power.

What being a young activist means to me is that I get to have my voice and be listened to by people in power. (Laila aged 11)

Who can be a young activist?You don’t have to be an expert or have a lot of time on your hands. All you really need is enthusiasm to change things for the better, to be under 18 when you join and to live in England. We’ll give you all the support you need! Making change happen is a challenge but it’s also a very exciting opportunity and one that we know you are ready for!

“Being a young activist, has played an important role in my life as I know that I have had my voice heard. I've been able to tell people in power about children's rights issues, and we have spoken out for other children and young people. (Jamie-Lea aged 15)

What needs to Change?What does home mean to you? For many children it means a warm house where they feel safe, somewhere with enough room to play and spend time with family. But for thousands of children it isn't like that all…

Thousands of children in England are growing up without a proper home. Some children are forced to live in bed and breakfasts’ (B&Bs) for a long period of time, which is against the law.

B&Bs can be dirty, cold, damp and unsafe for children, with no place to play or do homework. Sometimes they are infested with rats, and children are forced to share filthy bathrooms with adults they don’t know.

Renee, who was 14 when she and her two younger sisters, brother and mum were made homeless, told us: “I had this impression that being in a B&B is going to be like a hotel, but when I got there it was just a shock. We had one room. It had a bunk bed, a double and a single for all of us. …. It was really difficult to find my own space to do my homework.”

Children living in this kind of housing are more likely to have mental and physical health problems, do worse at school and experience bullying.

We don’t think this is ok! A B&B is not a good enough place for a child to grow up.

What are children's rightsChildren’s rights are basic things all children need to have a good childhood and to help them grow up healthy and happy. They are written into the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (the CRC), an important agreement between many different countries in the world that sets out what rights children have . The CRC includes things like- the

right to a place to live where children can grow and develop in a healthy way, to be protected from all forms of violence, to an education, to be cared for, to play and the right to have their views listened to.

What is the CRC?The CRC has over 40 articles which protect children. Each article sets out different rights. Some of the most important ones for children facing homelessness are:

• Article 27 which says that the Government of a country must make sure that every child has a place to live that allows them to grow and develop healthily. This means they need a warm, safe place to live where they have the space they need.

• Article 26 says that children from families who need support, including financial support, should receive benefits, like money and housing, from the Government to make sure they can grow and develop healthily.

• Article 2 says children should be protected from all forms of discrimination. This means they should never be treated differently because their family does not have much money and all children should have a place to live where they can grow and develop healthily.

Why now?In 2016, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (the UN Committee) examined the UK Government to see how well they are treating children and young people and respecting their rights. The UN Committee is a group of 18 experts who work to make sure countries all over the world are respecting children’s rights. It said the UK Government needed to strictly implement the law that stops children living in temporary accommodation, like B&Bs, for long periods of time and do a better job of making sure children have a home that allows them to grow and develop properly.

We want to make sure the Government takes action on the UN’s recommendations.

What we want to changeWe want an end to children being forced to live in temporary accommodation like B&Bs for longer than the six-week legal limit.

Children have a right to grow up in a warm house where they feel safe, somewhere with enough room to play, study and spend time with family. We want all children to enjoy this right.

Children who are homeless are an invisible group – they are often ignored. We want to change this, give children and young people a voice and stop the problems they face being hidden behind closed doors.

Thousands of children in England are growing up without a real home. We want an end to children being forced to live in temporary accommodation like B&Bs

for longer than the six-week legal limit.

“I had this impression that being in a B&B is going to be like a hotel, but when I got there it was just a shock. We had one room. It had a bunk bed, a double and a single for all of us. …. It was really difficult to find my own space to do my homework. (Renee)

B&B

Space to play, study & spend time with family Warm SafeDry

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UnsafeDirtyDamp

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Here are some of the ways you might want to get involved:

• Sign up online to be part of the campaign

• Sign up new supporters and spread the word

• Find out what's happening in your area

• Write to your MP

• Get creative!

• Talk to local journalists

• Come to the Change It! parliamentary meeting in July 2017

Get Involved to Change It! We are a small team and so we need your help to reach as many other children and young people as possible to help Change It!

This section explains some of the ways you, as a young activist, can get involved and campaign to Change It! There are many ways to get your voice heard. You may well have your own ideas but these are some of the tried and tested techniques that have worked for us in the past and which children and young people on CRAE’s Change It Steering Group will be focussing on.

We’ve tried to suggest ways of getting involved that you can fit in even if you have lots of other things going on in your life. We’ve also highlighted ways that adults like parents, carers or teachers can support you to campaign.

As our campaign grows, the sorts of things we want to ask politicians to do may also change. Before you start campaigning make sure you check out the Change It section on our website: www.crae.org.uk/get-involved/become-a-young-activist

On the website you can find more information and resources explaining exactly what we’re asking for – and who the people are who can make it happen, as well as suggestions of what might be the most effective action you can take right now to Change It!

Whatever you do, remember to keep in touch and let us know what you’re doing so we can help you. You can email us on changeit@crae.org.uk or phone 079 5114 2105

As our campaign grows, the sorts of things we want to ask politicians to do may also change. Before you start campaigning make sure you check out the Change It section on our website: www.crae.org.uk/get-involved/become-a-young-activist

Change it. #homesforchildren

Sign up

Sign up

online

1. Sign up online to be part of the campaign

Let us know you want to be part of the campaign by signing up online: www.crae.org.uk/get-involved/become-a-young-activist

You can also follow us on Twitter (@CRAE_official) or become a fan on Facebook (www.facebook.com/craechangeit) so you’re connected with us and get all the latest campaigning news straight away.

2. Sign up new supporters and spread the word

Once you’ve signed up you can help to get more people interested in the campaign. Ask friends to sign up via our website and to keep up to date by following us on Twitter and Facebook.

If you use social media, have a blog or a website, you can use it to highlight the campaign and share this pack and the materials on our website. You could also post a message about the campaign on any forums or message boards that you are a member of.

Remember to use the hashtags #ChangeIt! #Homes4Children, #HomesNotB&Bs #NoChildinB&Bs and re-tweet @CRAE_official

3. Find out what's happening in your area

Do you know how homelessness affects children where you live?

You can find out by looking at the official figures published by the Government which show, area by area, how many children and their families are living in B&Bs and how many families have been in B&Bs for longer than the six-week legal limit. You can use this information to add force to your campaigning – for example in a letter to your MP or local councillor or even when talking to local journalists (see below).

To find out how to get these figures go to the Change It section on our website: www.crae.org.uk/get-involved/become-a-young-activist

YOUR TOWN 08

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4. Write to your MP

Writing to your MP is one of the easiest – and most effective – ways of getting your point across.

If you’ve got 10 minutes to spare, go to the Change It! campaign website to find details of how to work out who your MP is (you will need your postcode) and to download a template letter which you can personalise and send to them: www.crae.org.uk/get-involved/become-a-young-activist

If you make the letter you send to your MP personal it is likely to have more impact. If you’ve got a free 20 minutes consider writing a letter from scratch explaining in your own words (or pictures if you like drawing!) why you support the Change It! campaign and asking your MP to back it.

Remember to copy us into any emails or if you write by post, take a photo of your letter and email it to us (marked “letter to MP”) so we know which MPs you’ve been in touch with. That way we can make sure they also get the latest information on the campaign direct from us.

Before you write to your MP, make sure you look at our website. The information and template letter there is updated to include the latest things we’re asking MPs to do to support the campaign. For example,”come to the Change It! parliamentary event in July” or “sign a petition in Parliament”, “turn up to a debate” or “ask the Government a question”.

5. Get creative!

It can sometimes be hard to get the motivation to sit down and write a letter so why not make it into something fun to do with your friends and other young activists? Get people together, and all sit down and write your letters to MPs. You could take photos of yourself doing this to include with your letters.

If you love art perhaps you could create a poster telling people about the Change It! campaign which you could display at school, in your youth club or perhaps ask your local library if they would put it up alongside a copy of this campaign pack? You could take a photo of your poster and, if you use social media, share it to spread the word and encourage others to join the campaign.

Do you like Lego? Are you into junk modelling with recycled materials? Why not build your dream house and send us a photo explaining what is in it and what you love about it. Or you could think about the things that make living in B&Bs hard for children and young people and build something that shows that.

The sky is the limit so use your imagination to come up with other ways to express your support for the Change It! campaign.

Don’t forget to share your creations with us by email or, even better, on social media.

“We need you to become a young activist and get your voice heard by people in power- we'll support you to write to your MP, and come and meet with them in parliament! (Tufa, age 10)

Become a activist!

Make the

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JULY

6. Talk to local journalists

Another way you can raise awareness of an issue is by getting in touch with local journalists.

Look at your local newspaper and keep an eye out for stories or articles that relate to the Change It! campaign. You can then write in with a letter to tell them whether they’ve got it right or wrong. Any letters like this are more likely to be published if you send it in within a couple of days of seeing a relevant story.

Alternatively, if you’ve found out what is happening in your local area and how many children are homeless (find out how to do this from the Change It section on our website: www.crae.org.uk/get-involved/become-a-young-activist) or you’ve decided to get creative and do some activities to support the campaign (see above) then you could write to the editor of your local paper or contact your local radio or TV station to let them know what you are doing and why you are getting involved in the Change It! campaign. You can use the template in this pack to write a snappy press release with highlights from your research or activity (including quotes from people who were there) and send it to local journalists. Get in touch with us so we can help you with this.

7. Come to the Change It! parliamentary event in July

We want to get MPs talking about homelessness and children’s rights and get the Government to take action to stop children having to live in temporary accommodation like B&Bs for long amounts of time.

We are organising a big event in parliament in July where young activists will come together to meet their MPs and talk to them about the problem and ask them to take action to Change It! All the campaign ideas in this pack will help make sure this event has as much impact as possible. We also want lots of young activists to join us in the Houses of Parliament so please save the date in your diary and keep in touch with us for more details of the event.

This is your chance to get your voice heard by people in power!

Remember: we want to hear what you are doing!

Tell us what action you've taken to help Change It! and keep in touch with us via email (changeit@crae.org.uk), phone (07951142105), Twitter (@CRAE_official) or www.facebook.com/craechangeit

Key messages about children's rights and homelessnessThis section contains more in-depth information that you'll find useful if you need to persuade others to support the Change It! campaign - and it should answer any tricky questions you might get asked.

What is the problem?More and more children are becoming homeless.

In 2015 38,040 families with children were homeless. But in 2009 there were only 23, 850 families with children who were homeless. This means the number of homeless families grew by two thirds between 2009 and 2015. This is a big increase. When a family with children becomes homeless they are placed into temporary accommodation - this should be somewhere they will only stay for a short time, usually in a hostel or a Bed and Breakfast (B&B). The law says it’s illegal for homeless families and pregnant women to stay in B&Bs for longer than six weeks, but local authorities are breaking this law.

In 2016 more families than ever before were sent to live in B&Bs, often for longer than six weeks:

• In 2016 3,390 families with children were living in B & B accommodation. That’s more than double the number at the end of 2013 (1,560).

• Over a third of families housed in B&Bs in 2016 lived there for longer than six weeks. 1,300 in total

The UN Committee made recommendations to the UK Government in 2016 about what they needed to do to make sure they were respecting children’s rights. They said the Government needed to ‘Strictly implement the legal prohibition of prolonged placement of children in temporary accommodation.’ That means the UN want the Government to stop breaking the law by leaving children in B&Bs for longer than six weeks.

Why is this happening?One reason why child homelessness is increasing is that the financial help provided by the Government to families who don’t have much money is not always enough to cover their rent. Recent changes also mean that larger families are not always getting enough support to cover the cost of their rent. When a family cannot pay their rent they may be told they have to leave their house and then made homeless.

As more families become homeless local councils are struggling to make sure there is enough housing for everyone.

Another reason the problem is getting worse is that there is not enough affordable housing for families in Britain. More housing which is better for children and families needs to be made available to make sure children have stable homes where they can grow and develop properly.

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3,390The number of families living in B&B accodation has more then doubled in 3 years.

Speak out!

Anmol's storyI have learnt how hard growing up without a real home can be. Between the age of 7 and 15 I moved house 15 times into different temporary accommodations. My Mum, a single parent, and I stayed in a B&B for about two months, it was dreadful.

We moved all our belongings into a tiny room. It was freezing cold, cramped and scary and everything was dirty. We moved there in winter, I remember it was snowing outside. The heating was expensive and barely worked. Someone came to check our room weekly and my mum used to explain that we were very cold. They used to write it down. But nothing ever happened. We couldn’t really cook proper meals because to use things like the cooker we had to pay extra for gas and electricity and we didn’t have enough money. I worried about my mum all the time because living like that was so stressful for her.

One of my worst memories was ‘celebrating’ my 14th birthday there. Although my mum tried so hard to make it special it wasn’t. It wasn’t homely and I felt too ashamed to bring my friends back to cut my cake. I wasn’t given any help or advice. It affected my mental health and left me with anxiety, I felt I lost all hope in my future.

When I was 16 we finally got a stable place to live and things for me are better now. My family have a house in a lovely neighbourhood, my little sister is in reception and I am in University living in student halls! I use my maintenance grant, student loan, and earnings from my part-time job to cover my rent. My family are secure, it’s like a different life.

All children and young people deserve a place to call home, a place they can feel happy to go back to after school, where they don’t feel ashamed to invite friends over and where they have space to grow up. When we lived in temporary accommodation I wasn’t able to do homework or study but now I have a proper place to live I am able to accomplish so much.

I never used to feel comfortable talking about what I have been through but being part of Change it gave me confidence to speak out and a platform to be heard from. Let’s work together. Let’s Change it!

Over a third of families housed in B&Bs in 2016 lived there for longer than six weeks. 1,300 in total

Week

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What is the change we want?We want an end to children being forced to live in temporary accommodation like B&Bs for longer than the six-week legal limit.

Conditions can be overcrowded, cold, damp, unclean and unsafe. Children living in this kind of housing are more likely to have health problems, do worse at school and experience bullying. This is not a good enough place for a child to live in and has to change. Children have a right to grow up in a warm house where they feel safe, somewhere with enough room to play, study and spend time with family. We want all children to enjoy this right.

There is not a simple, single solution to this problem but the Government and local authorities need to work together. Some of the things that would help achieve change for children are:

• support for children and their families to prevent them becoming homeless in the first place. For example not reducing or taking their housing benefit and financial support away and making sure they can get good quality advice from lawyers and housing experts;

• the person in charge of making sure local authorities do their job fairly (the Local Government Ombudsman) should take action to stop authorities using B&Bs for children and their families for longer than six weeks.

• local authorities making sure that all temporary accommodation is of a decent quality so that children’s rights to live in a place where they can grow and develop healthily are protected.

• more money from Government to help local authorities who have large numbers of homeless children and families to provide better, more secure accommodation;

• local authorities spending the money they do have on better quality, more secure homes for children instead of on expensive, inadequate temporary housing.

• building more decent houses where families without a lot of money can afford to live;

Children who are homeless are an invisible group – they are often ignored when decisions are made by politicians, civil servants and officials in local areas about the kind of housing they should live in. Most of all our campaign wants to change this, give children and young people a voice and stop the problems faced by homeless children being hidden behind closed doors.

Resources to help you campaignThe next section has resources you can use to help you take action. We’ve included an example of press release that you can use to help you write your own version. You can send your press release to your local paper, radio station or news programme. There is also an example of letter you can use to help you write a letter to your MP and invite them to meet with you in parliament. You can find out who your MP is and send them the letter from out website: www.crae.org.uk/get-involved/become-a-young-activist

"We want an end to children being forced to live in temporary accommodation like B&Bs for longer than the six-week legal limit."

Press releaseGetting NoticedThe perfect press release to support your campaign to Change It!

HeadlineInsert a short description of your activity/research findings. Keep it catchy, interesting and short enough to tweet. Remember to be local and topical!

For example: children and young people from [name of town/area/school] campaign to end homeless children and families being forced to live in B&Bs

Introductory paragraphMake sure you include Who? What? Why? Where? When?

For example: [number of ] children and young people aged [insert age] from [name of town/area/school] have come together to [insert activity. For example: write to local MP; build dream houses; make posters etc.] as part of a national campaign on children’s rights and homelessness.

If your activity has already happened: On [date] the Young Activists [full details of what you did, how many people got involved etc].

If you’re organising an event that hasn’t taken place yet, include brief details of what you want people to do/how they can get involved.

Provide more background about the campaignInclude information about the problem nationally and, especially, locally (see the campaign pack and website for a guide on how to find out the numbers of children and families who are living in B&Bs and temporary housing in your area). Explain what the Change It! campaign wants to achieve.

For example: Thousands of children across England are growing up without a proper home. Some children are forced to live in bed and breakfasts’ (B&Bs) for a long period of time, which is against the law. B&Bs can be dirty, cold, damp and unsafe for children, with no place to play or do homework. Sometimes they are infested with rats and children are forced to share filthy bathrooms with adults they don’t know.

In [name of town/area], [numbers of children and families] are living in this way.

The Change It! campaign wants an end to children being forced to live in temporary accommodation like B&Bs for longer than the six-week legal limit. Children who are homeless are an invisible group – they are often ignored. The campaign wants to give children and young people a voice and stop the problems homeless children face being hidden behind closed doors.

Supporting quoteFrom you

For example:

[Your name], organiser said: “We are supporting the Change It! campaign to raise awareness of an important children’s rights issue. Children have a right to grow up in a warm house where they feel safe, somewhere with enough room to play, study and spend time with family. We want to see changes made in [name of town/area] so that all children here have a place to live where they can grow up safe and healthy, in a real home.”

Or a before quote from whoever is helping you organise the event. For example your school or youth club or support group.

[name], [MP/ /Mayor/local high profile person] said: “I am very proud to support the work by our local Young Activists. As [MP/ Mayor] I take the issue of children and their families living in unsuitable temporary accommodation very seriously and am pleased that [insert activity] is helping to raise awareness of the problem. I will be keeping in touch with [organiser] and the national Change It! campaign to help bring about an end to children and their families living in B&Bs for longer than the six-week legal limit.”

Official quote from Change It! Steering GroupLeila (11) and Leah (12), Change It! Steering Group members, said:

“Change It! is a national campaign led by children and young people from across England who are passionate about making life better for all children and young people.

Many of us on the Steering Group have lived in temporary housing like B&Bs, sometimes for months on end. Living in dirty, over crowded places with no space to play or do homework affects children’s lives - you might be bullied at school, experience mental health problems or physical illness. We know how important a real home is for a child.

All of us believe children and young people need to be listened to and are excited to work with local Young Activists on this campaign. Together we can Change It!”

Contact informationFor more information contact: [NAME/TELEPHONE/EMAIL]

Notes to Editor

About[insert info/dates/information about the activity – if not already in the press release itself ]

About Change It!Change it! is a campaign led by children and young people who are passionate about making life better for all children and young people. It is supported by the Children’s Rights Alliance for England (CRAE). Change It’s Steering Group has 26 members, eight to 20 years-old, who come from all over England. Many of the Steering Group have experienced not having their rights met, have grown up in care, faced discrimination or experienced homelessness. Many have lived in temporary housing like Bed and Breakfasts (B&Bs), sometimes for months on end.

The Change It! Steering Group first came together in 2015 when they researched and wrote the See it, Say it, Change it report about children’s rights in England. They spoke to nearly 1000 children in their research and sent their report to the UN Committee on the Rights of Child who were checking how well the UK respected children’s rights. In June 2016, the UN Committee told the UK Government they needed to make some changes. An urgent issue picked out by the UN was the need to stop housing children in temporary accommodation, like B&Bs, for long periods of time. Change It! want to make sure the Government listens to the UN Committee and acts to make children’s lives better.

About the Children’s Rights Alliance for EnglandThe Children’s Rights Alliance for England (CRAE) fights for the rights of children and young people. CRAE, part of the charity Just for Kids Law, was set up in 1991 when the Government promised to respect the CRC. We have over 150 members including Save the Children, Barnardo’s, Unicef UK, the National Children’s Bureau and NSPCC. We work to make sure that children in England are getting all of the rights in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (the CRC). CRAE supports children and young people to tell their side of the story, to campaign and to have their voices heard by people in power. For more information visit: www.crae.org.uk

Press release top tips:1. It is always a good idea to contact your local

journalist first so they know to expect your press release. You should be able to find these details by looking in your local paper (if you want the story to be in a newspaper) or online (if you want coverage from your local radio or TV broadcaster)

2. Send your press release by email but don’t include it as an attachment – always include your press release in the body of an email so it doesn’t get sent to junk mail or spam folders

3. Make sure the title of your email starts with: “PRESS RELEASE” followed by your headline so journalists can easily see what your message is about

4. Include a telephone number of someone who can be contacted and can give more information about what you are doing to support the Change It! campaign

5. If you have photos from your activity or are happy to have photos taken when you do it let the journalist know (remember: you must get written permission from any children and their parents/carers before any images are used)

6. Remember to let CRAE know if you send out a press release (copy us into your email: changeit@crae.org.uk)

[Your MP’s nameAddress line 1Address line 2CityPostcode]

[Date]

Dear [your MP’s name]

Did you know thousands of children in England are growing up without a proper home in places that are dirty, crowded and unsafe for children?

I am writing to you about a campaign I am part of to stop children being forced to live in places like Bed and Breakfasts (B&Bs) for long periods of time. The Change it! campaign is led by children and young people and many of them have lived in temporary housing like B&Bs, sometimes for months on end. They are supported by the Children’s Rights Alliance for England. Across England, Young Activists like me have decided to get involved in the campaign because we want to make a change and believe children and young people need to be listened to.

Some children are forced to live in B&Bs for a long period of time, which is against the law. When a family with children becomes homeless they are placed into temporary accommodation - this should be somewhere they will only stay for a short time. The law says it’s illegal for homeless families to stay in B&Bs for longer than six weeks, but local authorities are breaking this law.

[If you’ve found out what is happening in your area (see the campaign pack for details of how to do this), you can include numbers of children and their families who are living in B&Bs

OR you can use numbers for England as a whole: Last year, more families than ever before were sent to live in B&Bs, often for longer than six weeks: in 2016 3,390 families with children were living in B&Bs. That’s more than double the number at the end of 2013. Over a third of families, 1,300, housed in B&Bs in 2016 lived there for longer than six weeks.]

Living in dirty, overcrowded places with no space to play or do homework affects children’s lives – children might be bullied at school, are likely to experience mental health problems or physical illness.

We need your help to stop this.

Last year, the UN Committee on Child Rights told the UK Government that they needed to make some changes to make sure they were respecting children’s rights. An urgent issue picked out by the UN was the need to stop housing children in temporary houses, like B&Bs, for long periods of time. We want to make sure the Government listens to the UN Committee.

We want to get MPs talking about homelessness and children’s rights and get the Government to take action to stop children having to live in temporary accommodation like B&Bs for long amounts of time. There is not a simple solution to this problem but the Government and local authorities need to work together. We want to see changes made so that all children can grow up in a warm house where they feel safe, somewhere with enough room to play, study and spend time with family

Change It! are organising an event in parliament in July where Young Activists like me will come together to talk about the problem and ask their MPs to take action. I would like to meet you to talk more about some of the things that can be changed to help end children and their families having to live in B&Bs for long periods of time. Please save the date of [Put the date here - you can find it at www.crae.org.uk/get-involved/become-a-young-activist] in your diary. Please let me know that you have done this and I will send you more details of the event.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

[your name]

[Your address line 1Your address line 2

CityPostcode]

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B&B

#Homes4Children #NoChildinB&Bs#HomesNotB&Bs

GlossaryTo Campaign: to work in towards a goal in an organized and active way, often in a groupActivist: a person who campaigns to bring about change Temporary accommodation: housing that is only meant to be used for people to live in for a short amount of timeCRAE: the Children’s Rights Alliance for EnglandChildren’s Rights: the things children need to grow and develop healthily and happilyThe UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (the UN CRC): an important agreement between countries around the world that sets out the rights children haveThe UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (the UN Committee): a group of 18 experts who work to make sure countries all over the world are respecting children’s rights

Remember: we want to hear what you are doing!

Tell us what action you've taken to help Change It! and keep in touch with us via email (changeit@crae.org.uk), phone (07951142105), Twitter (@CRAE_official) or www.facebook.com/craechangeit