Homelessness guidance changed to ensure babies have a cot in temporary accommodation

A study by the National Child Mortality Database found that 124 unexplained deaths of sleeping infants in 2020 had occurred when they were sharing a sleeping surface with an adult or older sibling.

Sleeping with babies is a risk factor for sudden infant death syndrome, and is particularly dangerous when co-sleepers smoke, have consumed alcohol, taken drugs, or when babies are premature or have a low birth weight.

Under temporary accommodation space standards, councils did not have to take account of children under one when choosing the size of temporary accommodation, which campaigners argued had led to some babies being placed in accommodation without room for a cot.

The Shared Health Foundation, along with Justlife and MPs in the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Households in Temporary Accommodation, campaigned for the mandatory provision of cots for families with children under two.

A joint petition organised by the groups has garnered support from Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, housing campaigner Kwajo Tweneboa, homelessness charity Shelter, Islington Council and several MPs.

Siobhain Mcdonagh, chair of the Households in Temporary Accommodation APPG, said: “This intervention will only save lives if it is actually implemented. That is what we need to see now across local authorities in England.”

Dr Laura Neilson, chief executive of the Shared Health Foundation, wrote to all local authorities to welcome the new guidance. She said: “If a baby or infant sleeps in a cot or Moses basket, they are significantly less likely to die than if they slept in their parents’ bed, in their parents’ arms, or on a sofa.

“This is the single biggest intervention we can make; often we can’t change the environment, the uncertainty, poverty, or other social factors, but we can do our best to ensure that every night, every infant has access to a cot or moses basket.”

Christa Maciver, head of research, policy and communications at Justlife, explained that updating the code of guidance was a “big win” that “moves us a little closer to making temporary accommodation safer and healthier, especially for the youngest and most vulnerable in our society”.

She continued: “While providing cots is a start, there is so much more work to be done. The newest statistics show over 142,000 children in temporary accommodation in England.”

“Housing is unaffordable, homelessness is rising, councils are going bankrupt, and a lack of housing stock is driving homeless families out of area into unfamiliar places where they have no support or continuity of care from services.

“We need to see the government take this housing emergency seriously. Cots are one solution, but we need multiple to ensure more children do not die in temporary accommodation.”

In December, Inside Housing investigated the tragic consequences of homeless babies at risk from a lack of safe cots.