Monday 5 October 2009

The debate in the media about whether teenage mums should be housed in supervised hostels poses some interesting questions.

It is certainly true that we need to ensure that young women are not incentivised to fall pregnant in order to get a roof over their heads and escape their families.

It is a sad fact that this is the motivation for some women particularly when they are living in dysfunctional homes.

We somehow need to remove that incentive while providing proper care and support to vulnerable women.

A sensibly-run hostel with staff that can provide the right support and nurture may be the answer for some young women who are particularly vulnerable and would benefit from living in a supportive environment instead of on their own.

They certainly don't need to be vast institutions.

Gordon Brown set out in his speech at the Labour party conference his plans for how social care will be funded in the future.

I don't disagree that people with the greatest needs should not have to pay for personal care received in their homes.

The burning issue is who is going to pay for this. Should the burden fall to local authorities? The suggestion is that councils will pay a third of this cost. If this is the case it could mean an extra burden on every council taxpayer.

It is politically an easy thing to say but in practice it is not quite so straightforward.