Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP)

SWEP is a locally agreed procedure and offer, followed to minimise harm or death to anyone who might be sleeping rough in severe weather, through the provision of emergency accommodation.

LAs commission and are responsible for opening SWEP. They aren’t legally required to provide SWEP, but it’s seen as a humanitarian duty.

LAs should plan provision with voluntary, faith, and community partners, using multi-agency meetings and forums. This should include other LA teams, local housing providers, people with lived experience, outreach teams, health services, police, churches, faith groups, other charities & community groups, and day centres.

Planning ahead

• Use local intelligence and data to understand who is sleeping rough, their support needs and accommodation preferences, including information from outreach teams, partners, CHAIN or other databases, and StreetLink referrals.
• Plan for different groups and accommodation needs, including women, young people, couples, LGBTQ+ people and people with dogs.
• Consider unexpected demand and the level of provision that may be needed during severe weather.
• Involve people sleeping rough in co-producing provision wherever possible, as this can increase take-up and positive outcomes.
• Coordinate with neighbouring LAs where appropriate.
• Monitor weather warnings and maintain regular communication with partners so provision can be activated quickly.
• Agree clear referral, booking and communication processes in advance.
• Individuals stating they are rough sleeping should not have to be seen and 'verified' by an outreach team to access SWEP accommodation.

LAs and providers should make every effort to provide self-contained accommodation or single room options for people sleeping rough. This reduces the risk of transmitting illness, offer privacy and increase safety, and are generally preferred by people experiencing homelessness.

Communal sleeping models should only be considered when single rooms aren’t available, and levels of need justify it. In such cases, providers are advised to consult their local Director of Public Health to ensure measures are in place to reduce the risk of communicable diseases.

When SWEP opens, share information quickly via LA/partner websites, social media, local media, and high-footfall platforms (e.g. transport hubs).

Ensure referral routes are clear to police, outreach and day centres, hostels, hospitals, social services, and other teams/services that may be in touch with people sleeping rough. Promote StreetLink so the public can refer people seen sleeping rough.

Before severe weather occurs, consider:

• Opening/closing times, bookings, referrals
• Clear procedures and share with staff, volunteers, partners, and guests.
• A single point of contact/team to coordinate resources and access
• Out of hours arrangements so people aren't left waiting for outreach.
• Later check-outs with links/transport to move-on services.
• Funding travel to help people reach accommodation.
• Catering, bedding, laundry etc.

Keep SWEP open until Monday if activated on a Friday for smoother coordination with other support services.

A combination of paid staff and volunteers often works best to respond to the unpredictable nature of SWEP.

• Volunteers should receive appropriate induction, supervision and training, including safeguarding, communication, de-escalation, risk assessment, mental health, and drug and alcohol awareness. Volunteers should not be put at risk and should have clear procedures for raising concerns and responding to incidents.
• A range of free webinar recordings on different topics can be found on our knowledge hub as well as free bitesize E-Learning.
• If volunteers are to carry out any one-to-one support, they should have a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

Everyone accessing SWEP should have a clear route towards move-on wherever possible. Welfare and move-on responsibility should sit with a named person or team so that nobody is placed and forgotten.

Identify routes out of emergency provision into hostels, private rented, social housing, and specialist accommodation so that people do not have to return to the streets.

Link people to wider support, including healthcare, mental health and substance use services, benefits or immigration advice, and employment, education or other activities.

• Ensure everyone has a homeless assessment with the LA
• Engage immigration advice services for those who have restrictions due to their immigration status
• Commit to finding move-on accommodation for all individuals before they are asked to leave and keep provision open until all placements have been made
• Consider how people can be supported around pre-tenancy education whilst they are accessing cold weather provision
• Work with partners to find rent deposits for hostel residents so that hostel spaces are freed up for severe weather clients

Support should always be offered, but never made a condition of accessing emergency accommodation.

Managing risk

• Complete individual safety plans to identify and manage risks, not to justify exclusion. Ask people directly how they manage or avoid risky behaviour, what helps them stay safe, and what has worked well for them in the past. Focus on skills and strengths, while also considering risks posed by others in shared settings.
• Where possible, brief and relevant information should be requested from an agency that knows the individual.
• A high level of risk should not be seen as an automatic reason for exclusion, but as an opportunity to put measures in place, to make the provision as safe as possible, or to make an alternative plan, e.g., B&B instead of a room with shared facilities, joint support working etc.
• Where serious incidents occur, any decision to ask someone to leave accommodation during severe weather should be made carefully, with reasons recorded and reviewed at the earliest opportunity. Ideally, offer alternative accommodation, rather than a return to rough sleeping.