Families with young children who are living in temporary accommodation could be put at risk of sudden infant death if they are not provided with cots. A review of the National Child Mortality Database found homelessness and temporary accommodation were associated with the deaths of 34 children between 2019 and 2022, the majority of whom were less than a year old. Currently, councils in England are required to help anyone who faces homelessness, but they are not required to provide a cot or Moses basket for children under two.
Campaigners want cots to be provided to homeless families to address the issue. They claim that even one night without adequate sleeping arrangements could prove fatal for infants. Dr Laura Neilson, founder of the Shared Health Foundation, has described the deaths as “morally indefensible”. She pointed out that providing cots is inexpensive and morally sound. Councils have come under pressure to act immediately, with campaigners appealing to Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove to intervene.
Felicity Buchan, the Homelessness Minister, recently met with campaigners to discuss the issue. She tweeted that “All temporary accommodation must be safe and suitable for households with babies.” The guidance will be revised to encourage the provision of a cot and “adequate space in line with the suitability regulations”. While some report this as progress, chair of the APPG for Households in Temporary Accommodation, Labour MP Siobhan McDonagh, believes that this falls short of what is necessary.
There are 138,930 children in temporary accommodation in England, according to recent government figures. Given the strong links between sudden infant death syndrome and inadequate sleeping arrangements, campaigners are concerned that without more substantial changes to the guidance, young children in temporary accommodation remain at risk
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