What is a duty to refer?
Most public service organisations have a legal duty to refer anyone using their service who they believe may be homeless or at risk of homelessness to the local authority housing service.
The duty to refer helps ensure services work together to prevent homelessness by considering housing needs when people come into contact with public authorities.
How to make a referral
Complete our duty to refer online referal form
Before making a referral, the referring organisation must:
- obtain the person’s consent to make the referral
- obtain consent to share their contact details with the local authority.
Once we receive a referral, we will contact the person to carry out a housing needs assessment and identify available options.
Public organisations with a duty to refer
- Prisons
- Police
- Youth offender institutions
- Secure training centres and colleges
- Youth offending teams
- Probation services (including community rehabilitation organisations)
- Jobcentre Plus
- Social service authorities
- Emergency departments
- Urgent treatment centres
- Hospitals (inpatient care)
- Local housing providers
Information required for a referral
When making a referral, you will need:
- the applicant’s consent
- the applicant’s name
- the applicant’s contact details
- the reason for the referral (homelessness or risk of homelessness within 56 days)
The more information you provide, the better
Providing as much relevant information as possible helps us:
- understand the person’s circumstances
- identify the most suitable support quickly
- avoid delays in arranging accommodation or assistance.
Examples of helpful additional information include:
- current address (if any)
- health or support needs
- risks or safeguarding concerns
- preferred method of contact
- local connection
Additional information
- some public authorities have their own legal duties to provide accommodation.
For example, Children’s Social Services must accommodate a 16 or 17-year-old under the Children Act 1989. - local connection: When assessing homelessness applications, we consider whether the person has a local connection to Chorley.
This could include:- living in Chorley for 6 of the last 12 months or 3 of the last 5 years
- having close relatives living permanently in Chorley
- permanent employment in the Chorley area.
If no local connection exists, the person may be referred to another authority where they do have a connection, unless this would put them at risk of violence.
View more information on duty to refer on the GOV.UK website.