Research project into children who sleep rough gets £1 million in funding

Published by Max Salsbury for 24dash.com in Communities and also in Housing

A research project into runaway and homeless children who sleep rough has received £1m from the European Union DAPHNE fund.

The research, to be launched by the University of Wolverhampton, will focus on vulnerable children who are victims of sexual exploitation or abuse, and who may also be perpetrators of crime to survive on the streets in cities across Europe.

The researchers will interview children from the streets to find out about their experiences and needs, and work with organisations, such as social workers, health and education staff, police and victim support, to share their findings. 

The team at Wolverhampton will work with partners in the UK, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Spain to assess the similarities and differences between the children in the countries.

The two-year project is being led by Professor of Criminal Justice Kate Moss and Director for Research Paramjit Singh, who recently published the findings of their research into the experiences of women who sleep rough and suffer domestic violence.

Professor Moss said: “There is very little information about children who sleep rough, but figures show that 100,000 children go missing every year in the UK. They can be from very different circumstances, from running away from a family situation or abuse to having been deserted.

“After that they can become victims of sexual exploitation or abuse, become involved in crime or be picked up by a gang.

“A lot of the children who find themselves in difficulties are not identified by social services – they are picked up by charitable organisations.

“The research is therefore an important way of identifying the needs of children who sleep rough and finding ways to assist them and develop networks for the agencies across Europe to share knowledge and best practice.”

Experts will research the scale of the problem and evaluate current services; develop an online virtual network to support organisations working in the sector and organise workshops and conference to share knowledge and best practices.

They aim to produce a website, ‘what works’ guides, newsletters and training to around 2,100 key professionals, children, young people and community members.