CIH Ireland responds to consultation on child and family homelessness action plan

CIH Ireland identifies a critical gap in the current educational landscape. Existing general housing qualifications at Level 3 Certificate in Housing Practice (QQI 5) and Level 4 Certificate in Housing (QQI 6) lack the specialised depth required for the modern Irish homelessness context.

We propose to work directly with the Department of Housing, local government and heritage to co-design a curriculum specifically for this action plan.

We propose a qualification structured around five mandatory units, tailored to the Irish market:

• Context of homelessness and homelessness services
• Managing and delivering trauma-informed services
• Partnership working
• Managing and improving services
• Professionalism

The most effective way to protect children is to ensure they never enter emergency accommodation. We are a primary provider of homelessness prevention training through our program: Successful approaches to sustaining tenancies in Ireland.

We acknowledge the existing Housing Agency bursary scheme and we recommend expanding and ring-fencing a portion of these bursaries specifically for this new specialised qualification.

Our curriculum is designed for the Irish market and focuses on:

• Early warning systems: Identifying "red flag" indicators like rent arrears or property neglect before they escalate to eviction
• Multi-agency coordination: Navigating referral pathways for health, disability, and social protection services
• Conflict resolution: Tools for professionals to intervene in complex cases involving domestic violence or mental health challenges

Housing organisations often draw on internal resources for tenancy sustainment without dedicated funding.

• Recommendation: The action plan should formalise the role of tenancy sustainment officer as a recognised professional grade
• Call for funding: Provide ring-fenced funding to ensure every local authority and AHB has a team of sustainment officers who have completed CIH training

As noted in sectoral evidence, the loss of a home is a profound trauma for a child that erodes their sense of safety and interrupts education and future life opportunities. What’s more, it is known that those who experience homelessness in childhood are more likely to do so in the future. An inheritance that can, with the right interventions, be avoided.

• Psychologically informed environments (PIE): Our proposed new qualification centres on PIE, training staff to manage environments that prioritise a child’s routine, safety and psychological stability
• Housing as a coordinator: In a trauma-informed system, the housing professional acts as the anchor, utilising formal service level agreements (SLAs) to fast-track children to mental health, nutrition and disability supports

To ensure the action plan achieves its goals, accountability must be tied to professional standards.

• Mandatory NQSF compliance: State funding for any service provider should be contingent on staff holding (or pursuing) the proposed specialised homelessness qualification
• Data-driven outcomes: The government should publish quarterly data on the ratio of qualified homelessness specialists to families in emergency accommodation as a metric of service quality

For more information about the consultation please visit the government's website.

For more information on the response, please contact Caroline Moloney, CIH Ireland director, caroline.malloney@cih.org