Calls for better safety standards for children in ‘dangerous’ temporary accommodation after 80 deaths

A new report is urging better government regulation of safety standards for homeless families after it identified the deaths of 80 children living in temporary accommodation.

The report, titled Children Living in Temporary Accommodation: An Absolute Scandal, makes a number of recommendations regarding the regulation of safety standards in temporary accommodation including B&Bs, hotels and hostels by central and local government.

The Shared Health Foundation which authored the report, an Oldham-based community interest business, worked with the National Child Mortality Database, discovering that out of 3,605 child deaths in England between 1st October 2023 and 30th September 2024, 80 children had died while living in temporary accommodation. 

Separately, The Shared Health Foundation report also highlighted that of the 74 children who have died since 2019 with temporary accommodation listed as a contributing factor in their deaths (rather than their primary address), 58 did not make it to their first birthday.

Last year, the number of children living in temporary accommodation in England increased by 19,710 to reach 165,510 children. 

The report claims that outside of temporary accommodation these children might “otherwise still be alive,” citing a combination of poverty, homelessness, a lack of safe sleeping practices and proper beds for infants as among the combination of factors in their mortality.

It also found that parents are often ignored when voicing their concerns to landlords or local authorities, despite the risks that the hazards in temporary accommodation can pose to their children’s health. 

>>See also: ‘We knew Awaab’s Law was coming’: My work as a damp, mould and condensation team leader at Yorkshire Housing

The report, which features a series of anonymised case studies, says families in temporary accommodation report a lack of security measures in properties, such as functioning locks on doors and a lack of working CCTV in communal areas.

Meanwhile, families in London are being placed in shipping containers that can become extremely hot or cold throughout the year, and are often in “dangerous” areas, making it risky to allow children to play outside. 

Among its recommendations, the report concludes: “Both national and local governments should be regulating the quality of temporary accommodation to ensure that it is appropriate for children. This would include ensuring that hygiene standards are raised and maintained, repairs are carried out immediately to prevent accidents, and that communal spaces are accessible for residents to use safely.”

The government announced in February that it was extending Awaab’s Law to temporary accommodation. The law, named for Awaab Ishak – a two-year-old who died in December 2020 from a respiratory condition caused by prolonged exposure to mould in his home – forces social landlords to fix dangerous mould.

The report added: “The extension of Awaab’s Law to temporary accommodation is a move in the right direction and with the passing of the Renters’ Rights Bill through Parliament, the effects of the Decent Homes Standard on some types of privately rented temporary accommodation will be beneficial. However, there needs to be more effective regulation of the standards of all temporary accommodation, including B&Bs, hotels and hostels, so that all homeless children are protected from poor quality and dangerous accommodation.”