Councils failing to take homeless young people into care

Exclusive: UK teenagers placed in temporary housing until they are adults as there are fewer obligations to support them if they are not care leavers

Councils are treating teenagers like homeless adults and placing them in unsuitable temporary housing rather than taking them into care, new research has shown.

Local authorities are waiting out the clock" when assessing vulnerable 16- and 17-year-olds until they can be classed as adults. The teenagers were kept in the dark about their rights after escaping harrowing" family situations involving physical and emotional abuse, addiction and mental health problems, according to research by the Coram Institute for Children charity.