Some local authority areas have a formal reconnections protocol and others mention it in their homelessness strategy. There are however a number that do not have any formal protocol, but will reconnect people on an informal case-by-case basis.

When thinking about developing a reconnections policy the main principles and outcomes should be taken into account.

The main principles of a reconnection policy are that it should be:

• Part of an authority’s cross-authority and inter-borough work to tackle and prevent homelessness generally.
   
• Offered as part of a locally agreed, client-centred assertive resettlement process for rough sleepers and single people.
   
• Developed with consensus at the local level with key (and where appropriate, regional or national) stakeholders, to ensure a robust and reciprocally agreed referral mechanism to where people have formal or informal support networks.
   
• In place to enable individuals to be assessed and engaged with rather than being a barrier to them receiving support.

In order for a reconnection to be successful there are a number of key elements:

1. Local areas and agencies may wish to have a lead or champion to hold expertise and guide others in taking forward reconnection actions. Guidance on developing a local protocol can be found here.
    
2.  Regular outreach that identifies new rough sleepers quickly, utilising local intelligence and agencies coming into contact with people who are sleeping rough is important is in ensuring that those who are new to the streets and need reconnection are picked up as soon as possible. Guidance on developing a street outreach service can be found here.
    
3. Relevant staff within agencies need to undertake an assessment of the individual's housing and support needs click here. This will establish if reconnection is appropriate, and how it should be taken forward and include identifying if it is safe for the person to return to another area and obtaining consent from the client.
    
4. The agency reconnecting the individual needs to notify the receiving authority/ accommodation provider/ support service to ensure that accommodation and/or other support services are available for the client in the receiving authority. This includes arranging for telephone interview/assessment with services if applicable.
    
5. The agency reconnecting the individual should facilitate work with families and networks if applicable, which may involve mediating and liaising with other support agencies.
    
6. The agency needs to agree arrangements to facilitate the transfer of information and assessment details.
    
7. When reconnecting an individual it is important to arrange and fund travel and any associated costs (i.e. refreshments for long journeys. (For details please go to the travel page). Where possible, agencies should accompany the person to the train/bus station so they can make their journey to the receiving authority. In some cases, for individuals who have a high level of need, it may be appropriate to accompany them or make an arrangement for the receiving area or agency to collect them or facilitate meeting at a central point.
    
8. Agencies should advise the receiving authority, agencies or support networks that the client is en route and the estimated time of arrival.
    
9. It is important to follow up by checking the client arrived safely and that the reconnection was successful. It is good practice to follow up on reconnections after a period of time has elapsed with the individual and the support agencies engaged with to assess the effectiveness of the intervention.

Authorities will need to budget for the setting up and running of reconnection activities, but in practice these prove not to be significant. The main costs are for travel warrants with the reconnections work being done by existing services such as outreach services or day centres.

It will be easier to reconnect in some cases than in others, and they will take varying amounts of time to arrange. Some areas have very limited availability of service - more details be added.

Useful resources:

• Here is a sample homelessness application letter for clients to bring to the Housing Options
   
• Click here to use the reconnection assessment form.