Yolande's Story

Yolande and her children were fleeing domestic violence, and her husband’s attempts to track them down as they moved from town to town across the UK. They were referred to Social Services in their borough, but social workers told Yolande that the constant moving of her children meant she was an unfit parent and that she had made the family intentionally homeless. They said that they had no choice but to place her children in foster care. A support worker helped Yolande to challenge Social Services’ decision as it failed to respect her and her children’s right to family life. Social Services reconsidered the issue, taking the family’s human rights into account, and agreed the family would remain together, and that Social Services would help cover some of the essential costs of securing private rented accommodation.