On Monday, 19th January 2026, the amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill for a notification system was welcomed and passed in the House of Lords.
The Government tabled an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to introduce a new duty on local housing authorities to notify educational institutions, GP practices and health visiting services when a child is placed in temporary accommodation, if consent is provided.
The amendment was passed in the House of Lords during the Bill’s Report Stage.
This comes after continuous campaigning from Shared Health Foundation for a notification system as co-secretariats of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Households in Temporary Accommodation through the APPG’s SAFE Protocol Campaign.
Alongside legislation, guidance will be provided for local authority housing officers and relevant education and health bodies to ensure that the duty is well understood.
We have worked in collaboration with local authorities, schools, health professionals and families with lived experience of homelessness, to develop Guidance for Local Authorities, Primary Care and Schools. We know that a little can go a long way in providing children and their families with a sense of hope during a very difficult time, and that Health and Education services are well-placed to provide the stability that homeless families need to continue to thrive.
We look forward to working with the Government to ensure that the notification system is implemented.
Watch the full discussion from the House of Lords below:
