NI pupils to learn more about homelessness with the help of a new educational resource

Launched today, at the start of Homelessness Awareness Week, the resource supports teachers in increasing pupils’ understanding of homelessness and its underlying causes and in raising awareness of the help that is available for someone who finds themselves homeless or at the risk of homelessness.

Aligned to the NI Curriculum’s primary World Around Us and post primary Learning for Life and Work, the resource was developed with input from an Inter-Agency Steering Group including Council for Homelessness NI, Housing Rights, First Housing, Women’s Aid, Extern, De Paul, MACs and the Simon Community.

CCEA Chief Executive Justin Edwards commented:

“This resource addresses an important issue that affects the lives of many people in Northern Ireland, and forms a part of the Department of Communities and Housing Executive’s Ending Homelessness Together Strategy 2017-22.

Aimed at Key Stages 1 to 4, the Understanding Homelessness resource provides lessons and activities to support the teaching of the local and broader issues of homelessness in an age‐appropriate manner.

CCEA is pleased to support the Strategy and hope that this resource will help to further raise awareness and understanding of homelessness and support the development of the knowledge, skills and resilience of our young people”.

Speaking at the launch, Dale Heaney, Department of Education, said:

“The Department of Education commends the Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment for the development of these important resources on the issue of homelessness. It will enable children of all ages to explore the reasons behind the issue, including how one can become homeless, what the term means and the steps you can take to reduce the likelihood of it happening to you.

We hope that teachers / pupils will draw upon these resources over the next year and beyond. It is a particularly important and relevant issue at this time of year”.

Understanding Homelessness resource is available for all primary and post primary schools

Understanding Homelessness ccea.org.uk/homelessness

CCEA's Understanding Homelessness resource supports learning across all key stages (Key stages 1 to Key Stages 4).

At Key Stages 1 and 2, it aligns with the NI Curriculum Areas of Learning:

• The World Around Us
• Personal Development and Mutual Understanding
• Language and Literacy
• The Arts

For Key stages 3 to 4, the resource supports Learning for life and work: local and global citizenship.

The resource contains a range of lessons and activities to help support teachers in the delivery of this resource.