How we’re tackling the growing challenge of cuckooing in the housing sector

As Inside Housing has reported, many councils and housing providers have seen significant rises in cuckooing cases in recent years. At L&Q, our experience mirrors the national picture: we had no cuckooing cases a few years ago, but in the past year alone, we’ve had three.

While the circumstances vary, cuckooing tends to be a targeted crime, with vulnerable people most likely to be impacted – whether that be an older person, or someone who has learning difficulties, or suffers from drug or alcohol misuse.

Often part of county lines operations, the most common situations that we come across involve drug trafficking, but premises can be used for other reasons, such as sexual exploitation or storage for stolen goods.

Housing associations like L&Q play an essential role in tackling cuckooing, using our knowledge of local communities to detect early signs of abuse and exploitation.

“At L&Q, our experience mirrors the national picture: we had no cuckooing cases a few years ago, but in the past year alone, we’ve had three”

With eyes and ears on the ground, we’re well placed to spot cases, but that isn’t always enough to address the wider problem. Partnership working is the most crucial part of an effective strategy – with housing, health, adult social care and police services all working together to find a solution.

L&Q resident Natasha (not her real name) shows the outcomes that can be achieved when we knit services together. Natasha was being sexually and financially exploited after falling victim to cuckooing. Fearful for her life, she confided in her housing officer and explained her situation. We put an initial safeguarding plan in place to protect her from immediate danger. We also supported Natasha in reporting the incident to the police and raised a safeguarding concern with the local authority.

Natasha wanted to be moved until the issue was resolved, and as a large housing association who works with over 50 care and support providers, we were able to find her temporary accommodation at an LGBTQ+ specialist scheme.

When dealing with potentially dangerous situations, colleague safety has to be a top priority. Like other housing associations, we ensure all colleagues have personal safety devices when out and about in the community. Our procedures also make sure that colleagues do not work alone in any situations that may present risk. In Natasha’s case, we suspended lone working in the area, increased our local presence and stepped up security in the evenings.

“Like other housing associations, we ensure all colleagues have personal safety devices when out and about in the community”

Cuckooing isn’t a straightforward crime, and colleagues must be confident in navigating the complex world of safeguarding, including how to respond to and raise a formal concern with the local authority. This involves gathering evidence and having the knowledge and skills to challenge a local authority decision if needed. Frontline colleagues also attend regular team meetings with colleagues and debrief meetings, and have supervision from managers. At the debriefing sessions, we talk about what went well, what didn’t go so well, and reflect on lessons learned.

We also have designated safeguarding leads in place, who attend monthly forums to chat informally about practice, and a formal quarterly meeting to discuss individual cases, and changes to policy or legislation. Should a serious incident happen, I chair L&Q’s safeguarding serious case reviews, where we reflect on the case and develop an action plan to prevent a similar incident from happening again.

At L&Q, we believe that everyone in our business needs to make tackling cuckooing their business. Awareness training forms part of our programme for frontline officers, so no matter whether they work in maintenance or community development, they feel equipped and empowered to report anything unusual.

The rising figures highlight the magnitude of the problem, but the need to resolve it is ever greater. Social landlords have a fundamental part to play in stamping out cuckooing. Let’s do this right, pull every lever at our disposal, and support our residents to live in a safe, happy and secure environment.

Charlie Culshaw, director of care and support, L&Q