Call for cots to be given to homeless families

Campaigners calling for cots to be given to homeless families with infants say they're frustrated ministers are refusing to make stronger commitments.

The government is looking to update its guidance to make it clear that councils must provide "space for a cot".

But campaigners want cots provided, in an effort to tackle child deaths.

Homelessness and temporary accommodation were factors in the deaths of at least 34 children between 2019 and 2022, records show.

The majority of those children were less than a year old at the time of their death, according to a review of the National Child Mortality Database carried out on behalf of a parliamentary group (APPG) which focuses on Households in Temporary Accommodation.

Since then, the number of children living in temporary accommodation has increased.

The most up-to-date government statistics suggest there were 138,930 children living in temporary accommodation in England at the end of June, the highest since records began in 2004.

Councils in England are obliged to help anyone who is homeless, or in danger of becoming homeless within the next eight weeks.

They are not currently required to provide a cot or Moses basket for children under two, though some do choose to do so. Babies under 12-months-old do not count at all when considering whether a home is big enough for families to live in.

This week, campaigners hoping for a change in the Homelessness Code of Guidance met the Homelessness Minister Felicity Buchan.

In a social media post she wrote: "The death of a child is heart-breaking. All temporary accommodation must be safe and suitable for households with babies."

Minutes of the meeting, which the BBC has seen, suggests the existing guidance will be revised "to make it explicit that there should be adequate space in line with the suitability regulations and encouraging the provision of a cot."

The chair of the APPG for Households in Temporary Accommodation, Labour MP Siobhan McDonagh, welcomed the progress, but said it did not go far enough to have an impact.

"It's the wild west out there in terms of getting any temporary accommodation. Councils are under such pressure that just 'encouraging' isn't going to be effective", she said.

But campaigners are now calling on the Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove to intervene. They say that "encouraging" there to be enough "space" isn't good enough, highlighting that many temporary accommodation placements are arranged at the last minute.

Evidence suggests there is a "strong link" between sudden infant death syndrome and inadequate sleeping arrangements. They believe that even just one night without a cot could be fatal for an infant.

"We wouldn't expect people to take their own beds so why would we expect them to take their own cot?" said Dr Laura Neilson, founder of the Shared Health Foundation.

"There should never be a night where a kid doesn't have a cot. We're paying landlords hundreds of pounds a night. Providing cots is implementable and cheap. These deaths are morally indefensible so why aren't we doing it."

A spokesperson for the Department of Levelling Up and Housing said: "Everyone deserves to live in a home that is safe, decent and warm and temporary accommodation helps to ensure that no family is without a roof over their head.

"But local authorities must ensure temporary accommodation is suitable for families, who have the right to appeal if it doesn't meet their needs.

"We are determined to end the practice of putting families with children in B&Bs, and we are committed to addressing poor quality housing in all its forms."