Some public bodies have a statutory duty to refer people using their services to us. They must do this if they know the people concerned are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
The following bodies have the duty to refer:
- prisons
- youth offender institutions
- secure training centres
- secure colleges
- youth justice teams
- probation services (including community rehabilitation companies)
- jobcentre plus
- social services
- hospital emergency departments
- urgent treatment centres
- hospitals in their capacity of providing in-patient treatment
- Secretary of State for Defense in relation to members of the regular armed forces
You do not need to wait until your client is ready for your service involvement to end before you make a referral. Contact us as soon as possible.
Before making a referral
Consent
Make sure you have your client's permission to make a referral. You must make it clear that a referral is not a guarantee. This contact may not lead to us or any other council providing housing.
Local connection
Let clients know they can be referred to any council they wish. But they will be better served if they are referred to one they have a connection to.
Normally a connection is created by:
- their current or former residence in the area
- current employment in the area
- close family having lived in the area for a long time
How to make a referral
By phone
Contact us on 01344 352010 to discuss the circumstances. We are available between 10am and 2pm, Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays.
Following the call, we will send you the duty to refer form to fill in and return. The form is universal to all public bodies. Complete it with all information your agency holds.
By email
Alternatively, email the referral to housing.options@bracknell-forest.gov.uk with the following subject line:
DUTY TO REFER - Referral for [client’s name]
Make sure the email includes the:
- client's first name
- client's surname
- client's date of birth
- reason you are making the referral
Our team will check whether the client is already known to the service and has an allocated case worker. If so, the case worker will contact you directly.
If the client is unknown to the service, you will get a guidance document and referral form. You must complete and return it. Once we have received the form, a case worker will contact the service user.
After making a referral
If the client is already homeless
We will try to contact the client within 24 hours (Monday to Friday), excluding bank holidays. If we get a referral on a Friday, we may not be able to contact them until the following Monday.
If the client is threatened with homelessness
The allocated case worker will contact the client within 5 working days (Monday to Friday).