Scottish youth homelessness charity Rock Trust launched Upstream Scotland over a year ago as part of a three-year pilot. The innovative programme is being independently evaluated by the Institute for Social Policy, Housing, Equalities Research (I-SPHERE), and the interim report highlights that prevention is a key factor to ending youth homelessness.

During its first year, the pilot programme operated in six schools across three Scottish local authorities – Edinburgh, West Lothian, and Perth & Kinross - surveying S3 and S4 students. Findings revealed that one in ten students were at risk of homelessness, closely matching the findings in Wales and England.

Nearly three-quarters of those students identified as at risk of youth homelessness were engaging in school and had not previously come to the attention of support services within the school. This indicates that Upstream is delivering on its intent to help identify children who may not be picked up by schools using more traditional indicators.

Alistair MacDermid, head of services at Rock Trust, said: “The findings of the interim evaluation report will help us refine our approach and ensure we are reaching young people at risk of homelessness. We look forward to working with partners across education, housing, and local and national government to drive the Upstream Scotland prevention programme forward.”

Students categorised as experiencing any degree of youth homelessness risk had lower levels of overall resilience and wellbeing. Rock Trust’s Upstream project workers provided a wide range of emotional and practical support to the students, as well as referrals to relevant local services.

While it is still too early to determine the full impact of Upstream in Scotland, early indications suggest promising positive outcomes. Both Rock Trust and school staff report increased awareness and understanding of youth homelessness, a reduction in stigma, and improved wellbeing among young people receiving support.

To share findings and future plans for the remainder of the three-year pilot, Rock Trust will host a series of webinars. These are aimed at anyone who is interested in learning more about how Upstream prevention can help end youth homelessness in Scotland. This might include colleagues in education, housing, social policy, local or national government.