On Friday, 5th December, the Government released its Child Poverty Strategy, committing to support for households in Temporary Accommodation. We are pleased to see the following policies that we have been continuously campaigning for implemented in the Strategy:
1. End the practice of placing mothers with newborns in B&Bs and other unsuitable shared accommodation. This will help reduce the risk of child mortality in Temporary Accommodation, an issue that Shared Health has highlighted through our collaborative work with the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD).
2. Introduce a clinical code for children in Temporary Accommodation to improve data on accidents and admissions to better identify and prevent incidents.
3. Improve the quality and suitability of Temporary Accommodation placements, including action to prevent poor out-of-area placement practice.
4. Identify and reduce the number of school days lost for children in Temporary Accommodation, supporting Local Authorities, trusts and schools to record Temporary Accommodation status consistently and provide targeted support to children.
5. Introduce a Temporary Accommodation notification system, where local housing authorities would notify educational institutions, health visitors and GPs when a child is placed in Temporary Accommodation. This would enable health and education providers to respond appropriately to support children experiencing homelessness and mitigate the harmful impacts of living in Temporary Accommodation.
This is a change that the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Households in Temporary Accommodation, of which the Shared Health Foundation is a co-secretariat, has continuously campaigned for through the SAFE Protocol Campaign.
The SAFE campaign, launched by the APPG for Households in Temporary Accommodation in February 2025, aimed to foster increased collaboration between local authorities and their support services when a homeless household is placed in Temporary Accommodation. The campaign called for a legal duty on local councils to notify GP surgeries and schools when a child is placed in Temporary Accommodation, to allow for a more holistic support for households in Temporary Accommodation.
Dr Laura Neilson, CEO of the Shared Health Foundation, said:
“We are delighted that the Government is committing practical measures to reduce the impact of homelessness on children and are encouraged at the changes announced today.
Children living in temporary accommodation is a national scandal and needs to be consigned to history. All children should have somewhere safe to live, access to education and support.
Shared Health Foundation has continuously campaigned, launched pilots, submitted evidence and written guidance calling for the Government’s commitment to better support children in temporary accommodation. We are pleased to see that our recommendation for a notification system for GPs and schools is being implemented in the Child Poverty Strategy.
We encourage ministers to ensure that all actions announced today are implemented with urgency. We look forward to working closely with ministers and the sector.”
We will continue campaigning for better conditions for families and children in Temporary Accommodation.
