Appeal of the Referral Process

If a young person has been refused accommodation and is not happy with the decision because:

• They believe the project has not followed the correct procedure
• They have further information that they have not supplied
• Or their circumstances have changed since the interview

The young person may in the first instance contact the Project Manager who will discuss their situation with them and explain the reason for the decision. If the Project Manager feels that the young person has a valid reason the Project Manager will invite them to attend a second interview with two different staff members. If at the end of this interview the young person is still not satisfied they may appeal in writing to the Chair of the Management Committee.

The Chair of the Management Committee will then ask two members of the committee to look at the information supplied by the Project Manager following the needs assessment interview/s and discuss the outcome with the staff members who conducted the interviews whilst also taking into account the projects’ policies and procedures. The members of the Management Committee will also discuss with the young person why they are not happy with the decision.  The decision of the Management Committee is final. If the appeal is successful the young person will be placed on the waiting list and offered the next suitable available bed-space.

The decision reached by the appeal committee must be notified to the young person within 10 working days of having received notification of the appeal subject to adequate resources and availability of members and staff. In all cases the young person must be kept informed of the reasons for any delays.

We aim to ensure there is a balanced community at the scheme and must keep the level of staff input that is available in mind when we accept applicants as well as the needs of the current service user group.  Therefore, if the young persons’ needs are greater that the level of staff input currently available, or there is not a suitable bed space available the young person may be placed on a waiting list before they can be offered a place.