Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to accelerate the identification of accommodation for children released from custody.

I recognise that stable accommodation is a key factor in the substantial wraparound support that children require upon their release from custody. My department is working across government to explore options for improving the provision of accommodation.

To plan for the effective resettlement of children who are released from custody, the Youth Custody Service is reviewing its casework model. This will lead to a new Resettlement Framework and improvements to the multi-agency working that is required to support children in preparing for their release.